We will definitely not allow weapons to exist in the country outside of state control, whether from the revolutionary groups or the groups present in the SDF area, says al-Sharaa during a press conference.
The Kurdish-led SDF (Syria's Democratic Forces) is supported by the USA and controls large parts of northern and northeastern Syria.
According to al-Sharaa, the state should protect minorities from both internal and external actors.
Turkey, whose Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the press conference after a meeting with al-Sharaa in Damascus, links SDF to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is labeled as a terrorist organization by, among others, Turkey.
Although Ankara has maintained close ties with Syria's new government, Turkey has continued to strike against Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria even after the change of power.
al-Sharaa, who is the leader of the Islamist movement HTS, which together with other rebel groups ousted the Assad regime earlier in December, emphasizes during the press conference that "Syria is a country for all and we can coexist together".
