The foreign ministers of the United States, Syria and Türkiye held a rare trilateral meeting in Washington, where they agreed to move forward with a plan to integrate the terrorist YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian army, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The ministry said the talks, which also covered regional security and reconciliation efforts, reflected a “positive and pragmatic atmosphere.” It added that the U.S. reaffirmed its support for ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching a broader security deal between Israel and Syria.
Speaking to Turkish media after the talks, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he was also invited to join a part of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, adding he had also met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Tom Barrack.
"Of course, my presence at the White House today coincided with the visit of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa," he added.
Fidan said that while Sharaa was meeting with Trump and his team, he was also invited to join them.
"I was also present. We conveyed our president's (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) greetings and best wishes to Trump. We then had the opportunity to discuss Türkiye's general views on Syria, opportunities for cooperation with the U.S., and many other issues related to Syria's development, unity, solidarity, peace and regional security," he added.
Fidan pointed out that the focus is currently on what can be done to permanently lift the sanctions – called the Syria Caesar Civilian Protection Act – to help the Syrian economy get back on its feet.
"Because some limited exemptions were made using presidential powers, paving the way for certain economic activities, (but) the law needs to be completely repealed and re-passed by Congress to bring it to a point where presidential exemptions are no longer necessary.
"It was incredibly important that the administration shared the same view and made such a recommendation to Congress. Therefore, I believe both al-Sharaa's statements and our statements there are of paramount importance," he added.
Fidan emphasized that his talks were also important in terms of addressing the situation in Syria's southern Suwayda province, coordinated by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Damascus government, and in the areas where the terrorist organization PKK/YPG, which uses the name "SDF" in northeastern Syria, are located.
"Actually, we're seeing a pattern like this: in the north, northeast and south. If the problems here aren't managed carefully, there's a possibility of a problem affecting the country's entire regional integrity and territorial integrity. In other words, the country could face further fragmentation. It's certainly important that the Americans understand this, and I see they do.
"In other words, it's paramount that the country be one and whole, but also that everyone has security of life and property, and that various ethnic and religious groups aren't under any pressure in this regard. Of course, there's a great effort to find this golden ratio. At the same time, they must not pose a threat to anyone. We've had serious conversations and exchanged views on this matter."
Addressing reporters after meeting with President Ahmed al-Sharaa for nearly two hours, Trump said his administration will "do everything we can to make Syria successful," hailing al-Sharaa as "a very strong leader."
"He comes from a very tough place, and he's a tough guy. I liked him. I get along with him, the president, the new president in Syria," the U.S. president said in the Oval Office.
Trump forecasted forthcoming announcements on Syria but did not detail them, saying only that "we want to see Syria become a country that's very successful, and I think this leader can do it."
"He has had a rough past. And I think, frankly, if you didn't have a rough past, you wouldn't have a chance. He gets along very well with Türkiye, with President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan, who's a great leader. Erdoğan is a great leader. And very much in favor of what's happening in Syria. We have to make Syria work," he said.
Recently, Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named "Mazloum Kobani," the wanted ringleader of the SDF, said that the group had agreed in principle on a plan to merge the force as a cohesive group into the national army.
Under the March deal between the SDF and Damascus, the SDF forces would merge with the new Syrian national army. The agreement, which is supposed to be implemented by the end of the year, would also bring all border crossings with Iraq and Türkiye, as well as airports and oil fields in the northeast, under the central government’s control. Detention centers housing thousands of Daesh members, now guarded by the YPG terrorist group, would also come under government control.
However, the agreement left the details vague and progress on implementation has been slow. A central sticking point has been whether the YPG would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or whether the force would be dissolved and its members individually absorbed into the new military.
Şahin said the two sides have now agreed on a “mechanism” for the merger.
