Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the new president of Syria, Ahmed Al -Sharaa, discussed in -depth security ties – including a response to Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria – at a meeting in Ankara .
The visit on Tuesday marked the second international trip to Al-Sharaa since he officially became the temporary chief of Syria, after meeting the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh earlier this week.
Al-Sharaa managed the rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) who overthrew the government of the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive in December.
Speaking alongside Al-Sharaa at a press conference in Ankara, Erdogan said that Turkiye was ready to join the new management of Syria, especially when it comes to fighting the Armed group Isil (ISIS) and Kurdish fighters based in northeast Syria.
“I would like to express our satisfaction for the strong commitment that my brother Ahmed Al-Sharaa showed in the fight against terrorism,” said Erdogan.
“I told Al-Sharaa that we are ready to provide the support necessary for Syria in the fight against all kinds of terrorism, whether Daesh or the PKK,” he added, referring to the ‘Arab acronym for ISIL and Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
Turkiye, who shares a border with Syria, considers several Syrian Kurdish groups located near its southern demarcation as “terrorists”. These include PKK as well as people to protect people (YPG).
The YPG is a large part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by the United States, which controls a large strip of northeast of Syria.
The SDF remains the key ally of a coalition led by the United States fighting ISIL in Syria. But since the fall of Al-Assad, Turkish officials have growing more and more to resume the operation.
Reporting Ankara, Sinem Koseoglu of Al Jazeera said that Al-Sharaa had received a “very warm welcome” from Erdogan while he was growing again to resume anti-isil fight and promised to put pressure on Kurdish fighters.
“”[Erdogan] Turkiye recadet is ready to help control the [ISIL prison] Camps in the north and eastern Syria, which means that the camps controlled and administered by the Syrian democratic forces and the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish hunting group, “Koseoglu said.
“He said the fight against [ISIL] And the PKK should continue. »»
Defense, migrants, trade
For his part, Al-Sharaa said that his government had asked for a “strategic partnership” with Turkiye as he invited Erdogan to visit Syria “in the first opportunity”.
The declarations highlight a major realignment in the region, Ankara having broken the ties with Damascus in 2011 after the outbreak of the civil war of Syria. Turkiye opposed Al-Assad throughout the conflict.
“We are working on the construction of a strategic partnership with Turkiye to face security threats from the region to guarantee permanent security and stability in Syria and Turkiye,” said Al-Sharaa.
He added that the pair had discussed “threats that prevent territorial unity in northeast Syria”-an apparent reference to the US-supported homeless person. Al-Sharaa rejected any form of Kurdish autonomy and urged the homeless to hand over their weapons.
The two leaders have also discussed a new defense pact that has been widely reported in recent days, Koseoglu reported. The pact could see Turkiye establishing new bases in Syria, beyond those that already exist along the Turkiye border.
“The military bases that Turkiye have established in the past two years to protect its borders against PKK and YPG attacks are still there. They haven’t closed, ”Koseoglu said. “But they talk about new military bases. The spell is, for the moment, unknown. »»
After the meeting, Erdogan undertook to continue to put pressure for the lifting of international sanctions imposed on Syria during the reign of al-Assad. The relief of the sanctions has been the absolute priority of Al-Sharaa because he has undertaken an aggressive diplomatic thrust in recent weeks.
Erdogan added that it was important for the Arab and Muslim countries to support the new Damascus government – financially and otherwise – during the transition period.
On the issue of Syrian refugees and migrants, Erdogan said he thought that the voluntary return of Syrians accelerated as the country became more stable.
Turkiye welcomed the greatest number of Syrian refugees after the triggering of the Syrian civil war in 2011 – more than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.
The pair also discussed economic ties. This occurs while Turkish transport and manufacturing companies are increasingly expanding in the eyes for Syria.
