Syria will not allow Turkey to occupy its land: Mikdad

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad says Damascus  “will not allow Turkey to control even one centimeter of the Syrian territory,” stressing that Ankara should know that “Damascus will not accept the survival of militant groups” in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib.

“The Damascus government’s resolution is to liberate every inch of the Syrian territory, and Idlib is no exception,” Mikdad said in an exclusive interview with the Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network.

He added, “The Turks and others should know that the Syrian government is determined to recover all of Syrian soil. Turkey must also understand that its support for terrorism and its occupation of the Syrian territory will not guarantee security.”

Mikdad made these comments in response Turkey’s efforts to establish a new safe zone in northern Syria.

The Syrian government has already rejected any safe zone proposal that includes Turkey and the United States; they have called on both countries to immediately withdraw from Syria.