ASIA/SYRIA - Erdogan: churches destroyed in Syria will be rebuilt

Tuesday, 19 November 2019 middle east oriental churches geopolitics sectaniarism

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Deir ez Zor (Agenzia Fides) - The Turkish government is "particularly sensitive" with respect to the condition of Christian communities in the Middle Eastern region, and with its contribution Syrian Christians will see "their sanctuaries come back to life and their churches will be rebuilt, so that they will be able to return to their lands and start praying there again". With these words Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wanted to deny the arguments of those who in recent weeks have indicated the local Christian communities as victims and targets of the Turkish military intervention in the north-east of Syria. The challenging statements of the Turkish leader came during a press conference he held with US President Donald Trump, after the recent meeting between the two leaders in Washington last week. Erdogan spoke of "plans" put on the agenda by the Turkish government in favor of Christians, stating that the Christian communities present in the border areas under the control of Turkey have no particular problems, and have also received "health assistance and humanitarian aid".
Meanwhile, in the areas of north-eastern Syria which have once again become the site of armed conflict between the various military actors present in the region, according to various sources the city of Tal Tamr, once inhabited mainly by Syrian and Chaldean Christians, is under the control of the Russian armed forces, allies of the Syrian army.
Tal Tamr, an urban center of strategic importance in the province of Hassakè during the Syrian conflict was in fact controlled for a long time by the Kurdish militias of the Popular Protection Units (YPG), while in more recent times the city had ended up under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (alliance of militias of various origins and ethnic-religious composition, supported by the USA, and in which also the Kurdish militia of the YPG had converged). (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 19/11/2019)