Turkey ready to provide military support to new Syria govt: Defence Minister

Turkey is ready to provide military support to Syria's new Islamist-led government set up by rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad if it requests it, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said on Sunday.

He said the new leadership should be given "a chance" and that Turkey was "ready to provide the necessary support if the new administration requests it", in remarks to journalists reported by state news agency Anadolu and other Turkish media outlets.

"It is necessary to see what the new administration will do. We think it is necessary to give them a chance," Guler said of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel alliance, which is rooted in Al-Qaeda's Syria branch and designated a "terrorist" organisation by many Western governments.


But HTS has sought to moderate its rhetoric and its transitional government has insisted the rights of all Syrians would be protected along with the rule of law.

The new administration, Guler said, had pledged to "respect all government institutions, the UN and other international organisations" and promised to report any evidence of chemical weapons to the OPCW watchdog.