Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, declared that “Aleppo is Turkish and Muslim to the bone.” Speaking about developments in Syria, Bahçeli criticised the United States for supporting Kurdish forces, although he did not explicitly name the country, stating, “It is our natural right to tell them to pack up and leave.”
Aleppo and Turkish interests
Addressing his party’s parliamentary group, Bahçeli described Aleppo as a city deeply tied to Turkey and Islam, stating:
“It is an undeniable truth and a matter of political honour for us to assert before the nation: You cannot meet a patriot whose heart does not tremble when Aleppo is mentioned, because Aleppo is Turkish and Muslim to the bone.”
He added, “The Turkish nation knows the geography of Iraq and Syria, carrying these lands in its soul as part of its history and culture.” Bahçeli also accused Russia and Iran of complicity in the 2016 recapture of Aleppo by Syrian government forces, referring to “mass killings and sectarian violence supported by Russia and Iran, which cut Aleppo off from its historical roots.”
Relations with Assad and Syrian Kurds
Bahçeli criticised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accusing him of rejecting Turkey’s overtures for dialogue and calling his Ba’ath regime’s policies “a complete disgrace.” He urged Assad to engage in unconditional negotiations with Turkey, stating:
“It is in his country’s best interest for Assad to show a willingness to normalise relations with Turkey. Turkey has no designs on foreign lands, and Assad must understand this.”
Bahçeli stressed that Turkey would not leave Syria until the PYD (Democratic Union Party) and Kurdish forces were eradicated, stating, “Assad must stop considering enemies as friends and come to terms with the reality on the ground.”
He pointed to recent developments in Tal Rifaat, where Turkish-backed Syrian National Army forces have taken control of Kurdish-held areas, and declared, “Tal Rifaat has been cleared; next is Manbij.” Manbij remains one of the last strongholds controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) west of the Euphrates.
Criticism of US support for Kurds
Bahçeli condemned the US for supporting Kurdish groups in northeastern Syria, which Ankara equates with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), a designated terrorist organisation. Without explicitly naming the US, he questioned the legality of their presence in the region, stating:
“We are obligated to consider the implications for Turkey of renewed conflict from Aleppo to Idlib. It is our natural right to ask what those who bomb our borders and support the separatist terrorist organisation in northeastern Syria aim to achieve, and to tell them to pack up and leave.”
Broader context
The Turkish government has consistently linked the PYD and SDF to terrorism and views Kurdish autonomy in Syria as a direct threat to its national security. Bahçeli’s remarks highlight Ankara’s ongoing frustration with US support for Kurdish forces and its broader regional strategy.
Source: ANA-MPA
