TURKEY AND SYRIA; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 162

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TURKEY AND SYRIA

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on one final matter, I know I speak

for many of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle in expressing my

grave concern at the events that have unfolded in Syria in recent days.

Turkey is our NATO ally. Yes, it hosts millions of Syrian refugees

and has a legitimate security concern about the situation in Syria. But

Turkey's escalation of hostilities with the Syrian Kurdish partners who

have helped the United States fight terrorism is completely and totally

unacceptable. This violence needs to end.

Syrian Kurdish forces have stood proudly alongside U.S. forces in the

fight against ISIS. Over years of joint effort, their shared sacrifices

have put ISIS on its heels and rendered its physical caliphate

essentially nonexistent. But leaving the field now would mean leaving

the door wide open for a resurgence of this dangerous force and a new

iteration of the Islamic State; creating a power vacuum begging for the

meddling influence of Russia; leaving northeastern Syria wide open for

Iran to extend its reach, unimpeded, all the way from Tehran to the

doorstep of our friends in Israel; and destroying the leverage we

currently have to compel Bashar Assad to stop his slaughter of the

Syrian people and negotiate an end to this terrible conflict and

humanitarian catastrophe.

I want to make something clear: The United States has taken the fight

to Syria and Afghanistan because that is where our enemies are. That is

why we are there. Fighting terrorists, exercising leadership in

troubled regions, and advancing U.S. interests around the world does

not make us an evil empire or the world's policeman. It makes us a

prudent and responsible world power that stands up for our own security

and the freedom of others.

Alongside the 80 coalition partners that U.S. forces have led in the

counter-ISIS coalition, that is what we must continue to do. We must

continue to provide support to the local forces that carry the lion's

share of the responsibility to defend their homelands. This effort must

continue to include our allies and partners, even the imperfect ones

that sometimes behave rashly and dangerously, as both Saudi Arabia and

Turkey have recently.

When it looked like President Trump would withdraw from Syria at the

beginning of the year, 70--70--Senators joined in warning of the risks

of precipitously withdrawing from Syria or Afghanistan. The veto-proof

majority vote for my amendment to \[S. 1\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1), the Strengthening America's

Security in the Middle East Act, demonstrated strong and bipartisan

appreciation of our enduring security interests in that region. The

Senate spoke clearly and said that we must ensure that we have set the

conditions for an enduring defeat of the terrorists before any

withdrawal.

Regrettably, many of the Democratic Senators running for President,

along with my friend the Democratic leader, parted with this bipartisan

consensus and voted against this amendment. So I hope those aspiring

Commanders in Chief are asked to explain how they reconcile their

criticism of the administration today with their votes just a few

months ago. Maybe they will even be asked on the debate stage this very

evening.

I am heartened to hear that Vice President Pence will soon lead a

delegation to begin immediate talks with Turkey to end this violence.

I expect Turkish allies listen carefully to the anger from

Washington, welcome our Vice President, and take steps to repair our

important relationship. It would be a tragedy for both of our nations

if Turkey's escalation in Syria imperils our common fight against ISIS

and emboldens traditional adversaries like Iran and Russia. This would

be bad for U.S. interests, but it would be terrible for Turkey.

I also look forward to discussing with Members on both sides and with

the administration how the United States can stand with our partners

and provide strong, principled, and consistent global leadership.

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