Turkiye may open border to Syrian region held by Assad

 

A Turkish official stated today that Turkiye is debating reopening a border crossing into Syrian government territory, allowing earthquake relief to be given directly to regions under President Bashar Al-control Assad after a decade of hostility.

Another passage into the Idlib province of Syria, which is controlled by the opposition, is also being considered, the official said.

After Al-Assad used force to quell an uprising against his authority in 2011, which turned into a civil war and forced millions of Syrians to flee their country, Turkiye and Syria severed diplomatic ties.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered Turkish troops into northern Syria in support of the opposition's campaign to remove Al-Assad. However, he has suggested that the two leaders could meet after almost 12 years of hostilities, and their defence ministers conducted discussions in December.

The Syrian government-controlled portion of the Mediterranean province of Latakia may be accessed via a border crossing from Turkiye's Hatay province, according to a Turkish official.

The two provinces on each side of the border were both severely affected by the large earthquake that struck on Monday and left 21,000 people dead across the two nations.

"The border gate between Yayladagi and Kasab will initially be opened. Aid sent from there can go directly to regions controlled by the Syrian government "added the official.

A further border may be opened to facilitate the delivery of supplies into the Idlib region of Syria, which is controlled by the opposition, according to the official, who had knowledge of the situation and spoke on the record.

According to the official, "discussions and planning continue to create another gate that will enable transporting relief to Idlib and allowing United Nations supplies to reach areas utterly crushed by the quake."

The sole open border crossing between Turkiye and the northwest of Syria controlled by the opposition is at Bab Al-Hawa. After the earthquake on Monday, it momentarily closed, but it opened again yesterday.

For the four million people who, according to the UN, relied on humanitarian aid before the earthquake and whose needs have only increased since it struck on Monday, entry through Bab Al-Hawa is a "lifeline."