16 Mar 2021; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called to put an end to the human tragedy in Syria.
In a column titled "The West should help Turkey end Syria's Civil War" for Bloomberg, Erdogan said that Ankara rejects "any plan that does not address the Syrian people's demand for human dignity", explaining that such scenarios would only deepen the crisis.
"At the same time, we stress that a peaceful and lasting solution will be impossible in the absence of respect for Syria's territorial integrity and political unity," he added.
The Turkish president said he believes the establishment of a political system that is capable of representing all Syrians, is key to restoring peace and stability.
He called on the West to adopt a clear position against the Syrian People's Protection Units (YPG) which he said attacks safe zones and plays into the hands of the Syrian regime.
He also called on the West to live up to its responsibilities and end the humanitarian crisis, "as failure to share Turkey's burden may result in fresh waves of migration towards Europe".
Turkey is hosting 3.7 million Syrian refugees, as well as migrants from other countries such as Afghanistan – and previously stopped them from leaving for Europe under an aid-linked deal with the EU.
