Syriac Union Party Co-chair Senherib Bersum spoke to ANHA and said Turkish President Erdogan targets not only the Kurdish people but the will of all the peoples of the region, their free ideas and the democratic nation project.

Bersum said: “Erdogan, as always, is trying to trick the world and seem like the peace lover who fights against terrorism in the region. But the truth isn’t so. In the Syrian crisis, Erdogan and the Turkish regime has always had a negative role. Turkey supported terrorists crossing into Syria and caused Syria to fall to ruins. Today they want to play the same role, but this time they want to do it through their army not their proxies.”

Bersum said they as the Syriac Union Party had issued a statement and said the Turkish state threats are dangerous for Syriacs and Christians, added that the Turkish state uses gangs in their attacks and continued: “They themselves use gangs with radical ideologies like ISIS and Al-Nusra. These gangs have imposed a genocide upon the peoples of the region and replace the people who have their own minds with groups who share their ideology. Turkey’s attacks against Northern and Eastern Syria are dangerous for Syriacs, Kurds, Yazidis, Arabs and all peoples who live in these lands.”

Bersum said Erdogan targets not only the Kurdish people but the will of all the peoples of the region, their free ideas and the democratic nation project: “Erdogan can’t stand that the peoples of the region have built a free life in a democratic way because this hurts his plans. That is why he uses any and all methods to attack. Since the Democratic Autonomous Administration was formed, Turkey has made their proxies attack the region, but they have all been defeated.”

On Erdogan’s comments that they aim to save the people and ensure security in the region, Bersum said: “We saw what the invading Turkish state did in Afrin. The invaders targeted Kurds, Arabs, Christians, Yazidis and all ethnic groups. The people of Afrin were forced to migrate due to attacks and now they live in camps. Turkey has settled in radicals brought from Ghouta and other areas in their place. This is their politics in the region. There one can see Erdogan’s purpose in attacking Northern and Eastern Syria. Erdogan wants a repeat of the Afrin scenario.”

Bersum continued: “AKP’s and its sultan Erdogan’s goals are known. They openly say they yearn for a return of Ottoman days. This is a tragedy for the peoples of the region. The Ottoman empire is known for its bloody history. Especially the Union and Progress period, the time of Cemal Pasha, Enver Pasha and Talat Pasha who massacred Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and Yazidis. All the peoples of the region were targeted by these policies. Millions of people were victimized. And now, Erdogan wants to bring these times back.”

Senherib Bersum added that the peoples of the region are stronger than the dictatorial and oppressive systems who wish for genocide: “History has always shown that the people live on, but these systems fall.”