Turkey, Russia, Iran working to end Syrian war: PM Yıldırım

Turkey, Russia and Iran are working to end the war which has ravaged Syria for over seven years, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırm said on Sunday.

“European Union countries, the U.S. and basically what we call the coalition forces think that they are not active enough in Syria. They say that Turkey, Russia and Iran are at the forefront, and are in a struggle to balance this. What Turkey, Russia and Iran are doing is not stealing the show but working to end this civil war and stop millions of people from perishing,” Yıldırım said.

The premier stated that Turkey and the U.S. were starting to understand one another better, and that the two countries were working together on matters of dispute.

“We believe that our relations with the European Union will enter a new era after the election. We believe that the U.S. understands us better today than yesterday. Their stance on the YPG/PYD in Syria, the withdrawal of the YPG/PYD from Manbij and our joint work to replace them with a Turkish-American force is indicative of this,” Yıldırım said.

“There is the matter of taking control of the weapons [the U.S.] provided [to the YPG/PYD]. There was no discussion of this previously. Now, the issue has come to the point of at least discussing it at a diplomatic level. The U.S. will understand is even better. We anticipate positive steps to be taken in the new period,” he added.

The U.S. has provided the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which are Syrian branches of the PKK terror organization, with over 4,000 trucks containing weapons to reportedly use against the fight with Daesh, despite Ankara’s warnings that they are offshoots of the PKK.

Yıldırım shared developments regarding Turkey’s security, saying that only the construction of 30 percent of the border precautionary measures that are being implemented remained.

“We still have problems along our 1,000-kilometer border. We doubled our presence in northern Iraq. We have 11 base zones. Our aim is to eliminate terror without it infiltrating our territory and to ensure our border security,” Yıldırım said.

“In fact, starting from Hatay to Iğdır, we also have physical border security measures. Walls are being erected, electronic tracking mechanisms are being established, and we have completed approximately 70 percent of this work. Our aim is to control entries and exits and facilitate this only through the official gates. We are taking these precautions to protect the lives, property and security of our citizens against internal and external threats and to remove obstacles that hinder the development of the region,” he added.

Yıldırım slammed Republican People’s Party (CHP) presidential candidate Muharrem Ince, who had criticized Gen. İsmail Metin Temel.

“On one hand, you say if you become the president judges will not be required to stand, then you say if there is a situation you don’t like you will strip epaulets. He aspires to Hitler. The independent Turkish judiciary is stripping the epaulets of those who brutally massacred people. It does not happen with the order of the president. Perhaps Mr. Ince is confused about the state of law,” Yıldırım said.

The premier went on to defend Gen. İsmail Metin Temel, saying: “Metin Temel was a hero on the night of July 15, I witnessed this myself. He exerted great efforts against the coup. He was one of the key actors in the suppression of this coup, it is beneficial to express it. He achieved undeniable success with the Afrin operation, and also with Jarabulus. He is a valuable commander.”

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also believes FETÖ is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Yıldırım said that CHP was working behind the scenes to ensure that the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) achieves at least 10 percent of votes to secure seats in parliament.

Turkey’s government says the HDP is linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.

“These days, HDP backers have increased. The CHP is working behind the scenes to ensure the HDP makes the cut. Some voters tell me that CHP administrators and organization members have been telling them to vote for HDP, claiming that HDP must pass. [CHP] Leader [Kemal] Kılıçdaroğlu says with great fervor that HDP must pass, so they are doing what is necessary at the base,” Yıldırım said.

The premier said that inflation would drop after the election. Inflation in Turkey rose 12.15 percent in May, year-on-year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced on Monday. The May figure was up from 10.85 percent in April.

“Everything that is going on is temporary. Some of this is manipulation because of the election, and some is due to global developments. I want you to know that our sensitivity regarding inflation and our commitment to pulling inflation down to single digits will continue. Of course, this will speed up after the elections. A current account deficit must be compensated for. We will work on this and have precautions taken,” Yıldırım said.

In April, Turkish parliament passed a bill calling for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey’s move to a presidential system.