Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria’s newly-appointed President Ahmed al-Sharaa mentioned deepened safety ties – together with a response to Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria – throughout a gathering in Ankara.
The go to on Tuesday marked al-Sharaa’s second worldwide journey since formally changing into Syria’s interim chief, having met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh earlier this week.
Al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) insurgent group that toppled the federal government of longtime Syrian chief Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive in December.
Talking alongside al-Sharaa at a information convention in Ankara, Erdogan mentioned Turkiye was able to associate with Syria’s new management, notably when it got here to combating the armed group ISIL (ISIS) and Kurdish fighters primarily based in northeast Syria.
“I want to specific our satisfaction for the robust dedication my brother Ahmed al-Sharaa has proven within the battle towards terrorism,” Erdogan mentioned.
“I advised al-Sharaa we’re prepared to offer the mandatory assist to Syria within the battle towards all types of terrorism, whether or not or not it’s Daesh or the PKK,” he added, referring to the Arabic acronym for ISIL and the Kurdistan Employees’ Celebration.
Turkiye, which shares a border with Syria, views a number of Syrian Kurdish teams positioned close to its southern demarcation as “terrorists”. These embrace the PKK in addition to the Individuals’s Safety Items (YPG).
The YPG makes up a big portion of the United States-supported Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls a big swath of Syria’s northeast.
The SDF stays the important thing ally in a US-led coalition combating ISIL in Syria. However for the reason that fall of al-Assad, Turkish officers have more and more pushed to take over the operation.
Reporting from Ankara, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu mentioned that al-Sharaa obtained a “very heat welcome” from Erdogan as he once more pushed to take over the anti-ISIL battle and promised to place stress on Kurdish fighters.
“[Erdogan] reasserted Turkiye is able to assist management the [ISIL prison] camps in north and japanese Syria, which means the camps managed and administered by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish fighter group,” Koseoglu mentioned.
“He mentioned the battle towards [ISIL] and the PKK ought to proceed.”
Defence, migrants, commerce
For his half, al-Sharaa mentioned his authorities sought a “strategic partnership” with Turkiye as he invited Erdogan to go to Syria “on the earliest alternative”.
The statements underscore a significant realignment within the area, with Ankara having severed ties with Damascus in 2011 after the outbreak of Syria’s civil conflict. Turkiye opposed al-Assad all through the battle.
“We’re engaged on constructing a strategic partnership with Turkiye to confront the safety threats within the area to ensure everlasting safety and stability to Syria and Turkiye,” al-Sharaa mentioned.
He added that the pair mentioned “threats that forestall territorial unity in northeastern Syria” – an obvious reference to the US-backed SDF. Al-Sharaa has rejected any type of Kurdish self-rule and urged the SDF at hand over their weapons.
The 2 leaders additionally mentioned a brand new defence pact that has been broadly reported in current days, Koseoglu reported. The pact might see Turkiye set up new bases in Syria, past those who exist already alongside Turkiye’s border.
“The army bases that Turkiye established inside the final couple of years to guard its borders from the PKK and YPG assaults are nonetheless there. They haven’t shut down,” Koseoglu mentioned. “However they’re speaking about new army bases. The whereabouts are, for now, unknown.”
Following the assembly, Erdogan pledged to proceed to press for the lifting of worldwide sanctions imposed on Syria throughout al-Assad’s rule. Reduction from the sanctions has been al-Sharaa’s high precedence as he has undertaken an aggressive diplomatic push in current weeks.
Erdogan added that it was necessary for Arab and Muslim international locations to assist the brand new Damascus authorities – financially and in any other case – within the interval of transition.
On the problem of Syrian refugees and migrants, Erdogan mentioned he believed the voluntary return of Syrians would decide up tempo because the nation turned extra secure.
Turkiye hosted the best variety of Syrian refugees following the outbreak of the Syrian civil conflict in 2011 – greater than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.
The pair additionally mentioned financial ties. This comes as Turkish transport and manufacturing corporations have more and more eyed enlargement plans for Syria.
