Syrian president Al Sharaa summits with Erdogan:  Strategic relationship, eliminating Kurdish militia top of the agenda

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria’s newly-appointed President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed deepened security ties – including a response to Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria – during a meeting in Ankara, reports al Jazeera. Turkey’s proposal two establish two new military bases in Syria, to defend the Syrian air space and help quell ISIS activity are also discussed.  While two leaders expressed complete agreement on the topics of mutual concerns,  details of actually what has been agreed on will emerge only in the coming days.

 

The visit on Tuesday marked al-Sharaa’s second international trip since officially becoming Syria’s interim leader, having met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh earlier this week.

 

 

Speaking alongside al-Sharaa at a news conference in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkiye was ready to partner with Syria’s new leadership, particularly when it came 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 my brother Ahmed al-Sharaa has shown in the fight against terrorism,” Erdogan said.

Dealing with  PKK terror threat

“I told al-Sharaa we are ready to provide the necessary support to Syria in the fight against all kinds of terrorism, whether it be Daesh or the PKK,” he added, referring to the Arabic acronym for ISIL and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

 

Turkiye, which shares a border with Syria, views several Syrian Kurdish groups located near its southern demarcation as “terrorists”. These include the PKK as well as the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

 

The merger of the YPD-YPG to the central government structure is also important for Turkey’s domestic   politics, because it might pave the way for talks on a new constitution between the AKP-MHP Axis and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.

The front organization of YPD-YPG, SDF, remains the key ally in a US-led coalition fighting ISIL in Syria. But since the fall of al-Assad, Turkish officials have increasingly pushed to take over the operation.

Reporting from Ankara, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said that al-Sharaa received a “very warm welcome” from Erdogan as he again pushed to take over the anti-ISIL fight and promised to put pressure on Kurdish fighters.

 

“[Erdogan] reasserted Turkiye is ready to help control the [ISIL prison] camps in north and eastern Syria, meaning the camps controlled and administered by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish fighter group,” Koseoglu said.

 

“He said the fight against [ISIL] and the PKK should continue.”

 

Defense, migrants, trade

For his part, al-Sharaa said his government sought a “strategic partnership” with Turkiye as he invited Erdogan to visit Syria “at the earliest opportunity”.

 

The statements underscore a major realignment in the region, with Ankara having severed ties with Damascus in 2011 after the outbreak of Syria’s civil war. Turkiye opposed al-Assad throughout the conflict.

 

 

Sharaa added that the pair discussed “threats that prevent territorial unity in northeastern Syria” – an apparent reference to the US-backed SDF. Al-Sharaa has rejected any form of Kurdish self-rule and urged the SDF to hand over their weapons.

 

The two leaders also discussed a new defense pact that has been widely reported in recent days, Koseoglu reported. The pact could see Turkiye establish new bases in Syria, beyond those that already exist along Turkey’s border.

 

“The military bases that Turkiye established within the last couple of years to protect its borders from the PKK and YPG attacks are still there. They haven’t shut down,” Koseoglu said. “But they are talking about new military bases. The whereabouts are, for now, unknown.”

 

A day ago, Reuters reported that Ankara and Damascus are negotiating on a deal for the establishment of two Turkish military baes in Syria.  Link to story is here

 

Following the meeting, Erdogan pledged to continue to press for the lifting of international sanctions imposed on Syria during al-Assad’s rule. Relief from the sanctions has been al-Sharaa’s top priority as he has undertaken an aggressive diplomatic push in recent weeks.

 

Erdogan added that it was important for Arab and Muslim countries to support the new Damascus government – financially and otherwise – in the period of transition.

 

On the issue of Syrian refugees and migrants, Erdogan said he believed the voluntary return of Syrians would pick up pace as the country became more stable.

 

Turkiye hosted the greatest number of Syrian refugees following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 – more than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.

 

 

The pair also discussed economic ties. This comes as Turkish transport and manufacturing firms have increasingly eyed expansion plans for Syria.

 

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

 

 

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Published By: Atilla Yeşilada

GlobalSource Partners’ Turkey Country Analyst Atilla Yesilada is the country’s leading political analyst and commentator. He is known throughout the finance and political science world for his thorough and outspoken coverage of Turkey’s political and financial developments. In addition to his extensive writing schedule, he is often called upon to provide his political expertise on major radio and television channels. Based in Istanbul, Atilla is co-founder of the information platform Istanbul Analytics and is one of GlobalSource’s local partners in Turkey. In addition to his consulting work and speaking engagements throughout the US, Europe and the Middle East, he writes regular columns for Turkey’s leading financial websites VATAN and www.paraanaliz.com and has contributed to the financial daily Referans and the liberal daily Radikal.