Turkish President: Damages of massacre policy in Syria exceed $500 billion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the damage caused by the "13-year massacre policy in Syria" exceeds $500 billion.

He added in a speech during an event at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, that the Turkish teams visiting Syria indicate that the scene is "much worse."

Erdogan pointed out that "with the (victory of) the Syrian revolution, a historic opportunity has arisen for our country and the region, and we will achieve our goal of a Türkiye free of terrorism."

"We are going through a period in which the region is witnessing very important developments," he said, adding that the events taking place in Syria are of particular importance to Turkey.

He pointed out that a new era had begun in Syria with the "collapse of the 61-year Baath dictatorship and the end of the 13-year massacre."

He stressed that the scenes coming from Sednaya prison "showed how an inhuman mentality ruled Syria for many years, and revealed the ugly, bloody face of the oppression practiced by a tyrannical minority against an oppressed majority."

He stressed that hardly a day goes by without finding a mass grave in one of the Syrian cities, or without evidence of the "Baath barbarism" appearing.

"Almost every day we are faced with news that is shameful and terrifying to humanity and human values," he added.

"Apart from the human losses, the damage caused to this country by the 13-year policy of massacres exceeds $500 billion," he added.

He added: "Our teams visiting Syria indicate that the situation on the ground is much worse than expected."

"To rebuild Syria, the infrastructure and the economic and social system must be comprehensively rehabilitated," he added.

He pointed out that in this context, "long-term strategies such as economic development projects, establishing health and educational infrastructure, and revitalizing agriculture and industry are indispensable."

He stressed that Syria needs a certain amount of time, along with the support of the Arab and Islamic world, to be able to restore itself.

He added: "It is important for the international community to contribute more during this stage, and we in Turkey are making all our plans based on these facts."

On December 8, 2024, Syrian factions took control of the capital, Damascus, days after taking control of other cities, ending 61 years of the bloody Baath Party regime and 53 years of Assad family rule.

The next day, Sharaa announced that Mohammed al-Bashir, who had been running Idlib for years, had been tasked with forming a new Syrian government to manage the transitional phase.

Source: Anadolu Agency