Turkey on Friday urged greater pressure on the Assad regime to allow the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians.
“In order to swiftly deliver humanitarian aid in Syria, the pressure on the [Assad] regime must be stepped up,” presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in the capital Ankara.
Kalin held the Assad regime responsible for the failure to implement a cease-fire as well as blocked aid deliveries, calling it "the biggest obstacle."
On Turkey's relief efforts in Syria, Kalin said the humanitarian aid drive extended beyond Jarablus and Al Rai regions as well as Afrin region where Turkey had conducted military operations to remove terrorists.
“To date, as part of Turkey’s humanitarian aid across Syria, not just in regions under the control of Turkey, the total amount of the relief works by Turkish and international non-governmental organizations, as well as those delivered via the Turkish Red Crescent is more than 30,000 trucks, and is worth of $630 million,” Kalin said.
On Feb. 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401, which called for a cease-fire in Syria -- especially the besieged Eastern Ghouta enclave -- to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Despite the resolution, however, in early March the regime and its allies launched a major ground offensive -- backed by Russian air power -- aimed at capturing opposition-held parts of the district.
"Our primary aim is to [prevent] the incidents from taking place in Eastern Ghouta, in northern Homs, and in Idlib regions. In this context, what we expect from Russia and Iran is exert pressure on [Assad] regime and tell the regime to stop its cease-fire violations,” Kalin said.
Home to some 400,000 residents, the district has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years, which has prevented the delivery of badly needed humanitarian aid.
- Early delivery of S-400 missile systems
"The process related to the S-400 continues apace, and the works on the delivery of the batteries to Turkey in July 2019 has been completed," Kalin said.
On Wednesday, Ankara and Moscow agreed on the early delivery of Russian S-400 air defense systems to Turkey during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit in Turkey.
The S-400 is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system with a capacity of carrying three types of missiles capable of destroying targets including ballistic and cruise missiles.
The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).
- Turkish military campaign in Afrin
On the ongoing Turkish military operation in Syria's Afrin region, Kalin said: "Our presence in Afrin now will continue until security and public order are fully ensured in Afrin.”
On March 18, Turkish-backed troops liberated the town center of Afrin as part of Operation Olive Branch, launched on Jan. 20 to clear terrorist groups from northwestern Syria district amid growing threats from the region.
The forces are still carrying out security sweeps for mines, improvised explosive devices, and terrorist hideouts.
Over a Russian claim that the terrorist YPG/PYD presence in the Syrian city of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo diminished, Kalin said Turkey needed to make sure the validity of the claim.
"Regarding the Tal Rifaat issue, Russians say there is ‘almost no YPG/PYD terror elements’. We will confirm it via our own sources," the presidential spokesperson said.
Former Turkish banker case in
In a U.S. court case where Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a former deputy CEO of Turkey's state-lender Halkbank, had stood trial, Kalin blasted prosecutors’ demand for a 15-year jail term for Atilla.
Dubbing it as an "injustice", Kalin said: "We condemn this decision vehemently and reject it."
U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday asked a federal judge to sentence Atilla, who was convicted of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, to at least 15 years in prison.
On Jan. 3, Atilla was found guilty by a jury on five counts related to conspiracy and bank fraud but was acquitted of money laundering.
A month later, a New York judge turned down a request by Atilla to acquit him of all charges due to lack of evidence, saying there was “sufficient evidence” to support the charges.
Atilla will be sentenced on April 11. If he receives a sentence in line with the request by prosecutors, defense lawyers plan to appeal.
