[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 162 (Tuesday, October 15, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            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, 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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