President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hailed the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s government as “a victory for humanity.”
“Humanity won, compassion won, solidarity won, generosity won,” Erdoğan said at an event in Ankara on Dec. 11, following the regime’s collapse this weekend.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies swept into the capital Damascus this weekend, ending more than five decades of the Assad family’s rule.
The government fell more than 13 years after Assad’s crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria‘s civil war, killing more than half a million people and forcing half the country to flee their homes.
“I also convey my deep affection to our Syrian brothers and sisters who regained their freedom after oppression and tyranny,” Erdoğan added. He also expressed admiration for the “heroic people of Syria” who, he said, had endured immense suffering.
The fall of the Assad regime opens the doors to peace and security in Syria, Erdoğan said.
“We hope the number of voluntary returns of refugees [in Türkiye] will increase,” he said. “We will ensure these returns happen with dignity.”
The president also criticized his domestic political opponents, accusing them of failing the “test of humanity” by advocating for the forced return of Syrian refugees. He criticized their stance, claiming they “knowingly wanted to send Syrian refugees to their deaths.”
“They have slandered us as dictators for years. This was a slander not only against us but also against Turkish democracy,” he said. “If they want to see who is called a dictator, they should watch the prison footage from Syria and the [Assad-led] Baath Party’s gallery of sins.”
In his remarks, Erdoğan highlighted Türkiye’s transformation amid regional conflicts, including in Syria and Gaza.
“We ensured that individual rights and freedoms and freedom of thought were fully used. We overcame the practices expressed in the human rights declaration,” he said.
“We implemented a system where no one would be discriminated against because of their cultural identity. We defended the rights and rights of women who were excluded from the state and public sphere.”
Erdoğan stressed the importance of national unity in the face of external threats.
“We should focus on our common points, not our differences,” he said. “If we are united, we will be an indestructible fortress against attacks. If we fall out with each other, God forbid, we will fall prey to the jackals lurking around us.”
hurriyetdailynews.com