Madam President,

First, let me thank Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths and Special Envoy Geir Pedersen for their briefings.

For more than a decade now - 11 years - the conflict in Syria has been the primary breeding ground for one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes globally.

Türkiye is taking all the necessary measures to facilitate the UN cross-border aid as well as cross-line convoys.

Since the adoption of Resolution 2642, there have been regular cross line deliveries to northwest Syria.

And through the single border crossing of Bab-al Hawa, the cross-border humanitarian aid reaches millions of Syrians every month in the northwest. Among those in the region, 2.8 million are IDPs, and heartbreakingly a majority of them are women, children and the elderly.

The attacks earlier in November, which saw three different IDP camps in Idlib being targeted, resulted in the killing of 9 civilians and wounding 70. We are concerned that UNHCR’s strengthened shelters located in the same area have also sustained serious damage.

These attacks of course further adversely impact the dire humanitarian situation. We invite all relevant parties to abide by the existing memoranda and end attacks on civilians, for once and for all.

Civilians are not, and never will be, a target.

Madam President,

It is crucial that all regions in Syria benefit fairly from early recovery and resilience efforts. These projects should be implemented throughout the country based on the needs-assessment of the UN.

In this context, we expect that the needs communicated by the Syrian Interim Government are also duly integrated in early recovery and resilience planning of the United Nations.

The Syrian Interim Government has long been requesting Ra’s Al-Ayn and Tel Abiad region to also benefit from UN humanitarian assistance. After three years of persistent calls, UNICEF and WHO finally delivered medicines for leishmaniasis disease and cholera through cross-line assistance to this region in October. It is crucial that this is not relegated to being a one-time aid delivery but continues in accordance with the humanitarian needs in this region.

It is also crucial to approach the electricity and water problems in north Syria in a holistic, comprehensive and durable manner - including through addressing the water shortages in Al Bab and electricity shortages in Ra’s Al-Ayn and Tel Abiad region. Crucially, the cholera outbreak has elevated the need for supply of water and electricity in these two areas to new heights.

Madam President,

We are now weeks away from the renewal of the UN cross-border aid operation.

Let me be clear: The cross-border assistance is a moral and humanitarian imperative. It is not a political issue. It is about sending in food, blankets, diapers, personal hygiene products, medicines and vaccines to the people who depend on them for their survival.

It is not the up to the Security Council to decide who in Syria can receive humanitarian aid, and who cannot. But rather, the onus is on the Council to support this highly scrutinized and meticulous UN humanitarian operation in order to save lives.

We renew our call on all members to be guided solely by humanitarian considerations. We cannot afford to politicize this issue. Doing so would condemn civilians to death.

Madam President,

Türkiye is committed to ending the Syrian conflict through a viable and sustainable political process under the UN facilitation, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. We hope that the 9th round of the Constitutional Committee takes place as soon as possible under the auspices and hosting of the United Nations. We support the UN efforts to this end.

The Syrian opposition has displayed a constructive attitude since the beginning of the process. The regime should abandon its intransigency and instead actively engage in the political process.

Madam President,

The PKK/YPG terrorist organization harboring in northern Syria poses a vital threat to my country’s national security.

Our borders have repeatedly been targeted in the last two years. PKK/YPG and its offshoot, the so-called “SDF”, is now openly claiming responsibility for its attacks against Türkiye. Audaciously on their own social media accounts.

The terrorist attack that took place at Taksim, the heart of Istanbul, on 13th November killed 6 people, including children, and wounded more than 80 civilians.

The PKK/YPG perpetrated further attacks last week in Karkamış, a border district of Gaziantep after its ringleaders called for “revenge” on Türkiye, targeting civilian areas, including 3 schools. Once again, innocent people lost their lives, among whom were a 22-year-old women teacher and a 5-year-old boy.

This is totally unacceptable. We cannot abide by it just as no member of this Council would.

Madam President,

The obligations stemming from the agreements of October 2019, which we concluded with the United States and the Russian Federation respectively, have not been fully implemented thus far. This results in increased terrorist threat against our borders.

No Member State can tolerate deliberate attacks against its people or territory. Nor should they.

We will continue to carry out counter terror operations to protect our people and to ensure our border security, in exercise of the inherent right of self-defense, as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter, and in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions on the fight against terrorism.

Madam President,

The statements expressing concern that our counter terrorism operations against PKK/YPG might adversely affect the fight against DAESH cannot be more detached from reality.

The fact is DAESH remains a threat above all to the neighboring countries due to the wrongdoings and ill-advised strategies of those who make these kinds of statements.

We have, on countless occasions, warned against the mistake of sub-contracting the fight against DAESH to another terrorist organization, namely the so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces”, which, in reality, is nothing but the PKK/YPG itself.

You may change the name of this terrorist organization as many times as you want. But there is no changing its intent.

You may even make a mockery of global counterterrorism efforts, re-branding them as "democratic." This is an affront to democracy.

But you cannot change the fact that it is a terrorist organization which has the blood of Turkish and Syrian civilians on its hands.

Regrettably today, adding insult to injury, we have heard a reference to the so-called “SDF” claiming that they deny its terrorist attack in İstanbul. Referring to a terrorist organization’s statement in this Council is totally unacceptable and is an insult to our intelligence.

PKK/YPG and the so-called “SDF”s goal is not to end the threat of DAESH in Syria, but rather to maintain the support it receives from certain members of the international community by keeping DAESH on the agenda.

The only real fight against DAESH can be carried out with legitimate actors.

Those making suggestions to us on avoiding escalation and instability in the region, should review their own positions and demonstrate genuine solidarity with us in the fight against terrorism.

Terrorism which is, in itself, a major source of escalation, instability, human rights violations and humanitarian suffering.

Türkiye will never stop pursuing what is right and just in order to achieve peace and security as set out in the Charter of the United Nations.

As to the statement made by the Syrian regime representative, I will not honor his statement with a response.

Thank you.