The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

US lawmakers meet Turkish officials, discuss Syrian crisis

Several US lawmakers visited Turkey as part of a trip to the region that is focused on the US operation against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria.

The delegation, led by Senator Tim Kaine, paid a two-day visit to Turkey as their last stop.

Along with Kaine, US Representatives Tulsi Gabbard, Jim McGovern, Stephen Lynch, Brian Higgins and Peter Welch comprised the delegation, which visited Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan before arriving in Turkey on Tuesday.

The group traveled to the southern province of Gaziantep on the Syrian border to meetwith interim Syrian government officials and local council representatives, Syrian opposition forces and independent Syrian media activists.

The delegation also visited an urban refugee center that provides Syrian refugees with critical basic services and the headquarters of the Syrian American Medical Society for a roundtable with local NGOs providing humanitarian assistance, emergency response and medical care to victims of the conflict in Syria, McGovern’s office said.

McGovern said after his meetings that hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, ISIL, and countless militia groups. He added that as the US continues to confront the challenges in the region, Turkey is an important ally. “I am grateful to the Turkish government for their leadership in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis as well as the threat of ISIS and other extremist groups,” McGovern said, using another acronym for ISIL.

Kaine noted after the Gaziantep meetings that the will and hope of the Syrian people remain strong in the face of the “horrific brutality” of the Assad regime.

“I am inspired by the work of these everyday heroes, including emergency responders and doctors helping victims of barrel bombs, local government officials keeping the lights on, and media activists reporting critical news to the people inside Syria and their plight to the outside world,” Kaine said. “These meetings have reinforced my strong commitment to the creation of humanitarian safe zones to protect the Syrian people from the regime, ISIL, al-Nusra and any other calamity they face,” Kaine said, echoing Turkey’s year-long grievance that a buffer zone should be set up in northern Syria to house rebels and refugees.

In Ankara, the delegation met with interim Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday to discuss a wide range of topics including the strong US-Turkey partnership and shared regional concerns such as Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Russia.

“The delegation also discussed counter-ISIL efforts and how to better secure Turkey’s border from foreign fighters and other extremist threats,” the delegation said in a statement. Kaine expressed his deep appreciation for the generosity of the Turkish government and people in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis and for Turkey’s ongoing military and intelligence cooperation.

Kaine said Turkey remains a central partner of the United States. “I applaud the Turkish government for its unparalleled efforts to address the plight of more than 2 million refugees who have sought safe haven from the conflict in Syria and for its strategic cooperation in addressing the ongoing threat from ISIL and other extremist groups. I look forward to our ongoing partnership to address today’s most pressing national security challenges, including the need to defeat ISIL, find a political solution to the conflict in Syria and support more inclusive and representative governments in other countries around the region.”

The delegation also met with think tank representatives to discuss the recent election in Turkey and the future of the Kurdish peace process.

 

 

TODAY’S ZAMAN