Türkiye welcomes Sweida roadmap to end ethnic conflict
ANKARA
Türkiye has welcomed a roadmap devoted to securing stability and calmness in Syria's southern province of Sweida following deadly clashes between ethnic and tribal groups.
“We welcome the roadmap announced with the aim of preserving calm, ensuring stability, and preventing renewed conflict in Sweida, one of the southern governorates of Syria,” read a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sept. 17.
“Türkiye will continue to support efforts that promote peace, security, and stability for all components of Syria, based on the principles of respect for territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty,” it added.
The roadmap was announced as a joint plan by Syria, Jordan and the United States with an objective of bringing peace to Sweida, where Druze groups and tribes live. It stipulates efforts to prevent the repetition of clashes between rival groups. Hundreds of people were killed in the conflict since mid-July.
The plan includes prosecuting instigators of violence, providing aid, restoring services, deploying security forces, uncovering missing persons' fates, and beginning internal reconciliation efforts in Sweida.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced on September that the plan is backed by Jordan and the U.S.
"The Syrian government has laid out a clear roadmap for action... that supports justice and builds trust," Shaibani said during a press conference, adding that the plan involves holding accountable those who attacked civilians, compensating the people affected and "launching a process of internal reconciliation."
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said a "joint Syrian-Jordanian-American mechanism" would ensure the plan's implementation, while U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who was also present, called the steps "historic."
The week of bloodshed in Druze-majority Sweida province erupted on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and tribal fighters from other parts of Syria.
Israel, which has its own Druze community, carried out air strikes on government targets, saying it was acting to defend the minority group as well as to enforce its demands for the demilitarization of south Syria.
