Statements from the UN, EU, or official Syrian and Turkish government sources

Turkey's Hakan Fidan Recognizes HTS as Legitimate Partner, Calls for EU to Remove Terrorist Designation After 10 Years

Dec 21, 2024, 09:59 AM

Turkey has officially recognized the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group as a legitimate partner and has called on the European Union to remove it from its list of terrorist organizations. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that HTS has distanced itself from radical elements such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, asserting that the group has not engaged in any terrorist activities over the past decade, a claim supported by Western intelligence agencies. Fidan emphasized that HTS has been cooperative with Turkey in intelligence gathering related to groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda. He also noted that communication and discussions with the Syrian government have already commenced, with international officials from the UN and EU involved in the process.