In a previously unannounced visit, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalın arrived in Damascus on Monday. They met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other high-ranking Syrian officials.
Speaking at a joint news conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, Hakan Fidan touched upon the issue of the integration of the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG into the Syrian army. He said the integration should be carried out as soon as possible, saying that the delay was an obstacle to Syria's unity. Al-Shaibani, for his part, said they were still waiting on the YPG's answer to an earlier deal, adding: "Unfortunately, the YPG did not demonstrate any will for integration."
Fidan noted that the YPG has been "coordinating with Israel for certain activities" and said this cooperation was the biggest obstacle in the YPG's talks with Damascus. Israel pursued a warm approach toward the YPG, especially after the fall of the Baathist regime, while Tel Aviv also sought to expand its aggression to the new Syria.
The meetings are expected to comprehensively assess the trajectory of Türkiye-Syria relations over the past year across political, economic and security dimensions, following the first anniversary of the overthrow of the Bashar Assad regime.
Discussions of Turkish and Syrian officials also focused on the progress of the implementation of the March 10 agreement, which is closely linked to Türkiye’s national security priorities. Turkish media outlets have reported earlier that Damascus gave a deadline by the end of this year to the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, to honor the deal. The agreement involves the integration of the group into the new Syrian army.
The interim Syrian government has sent a proposal to the YPG, the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian offshoot that controls the country's northeast, according to five of the sources.
In it, Damascus expressed openness to the YPG reorganizing its roughly 50,000 members into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it cedes some chains of command and opens its territory to other Syrian army units, according to one Syrian, one Western and three YPG officials.
Since a major round of talks in the summer between the sides failed to produce results, frictions have mounted, including frequent skirmishes along several front lines across the north.
The YPG took control of much of northeast Syria, where most of the nation's oil and wheat production is, in 2019. A Syrian official told Reuters last week the year-end deadline for integration is firm and only "irreversible steps" by the YPG could bring an extension.
Fidan said last Thursday that it does not want to resort to military means but warned that patience with the YPG is "running out." YPG officials have downplayed the deadline and said they are committed to talks toward a just integration.
The U.S.-backed group has been behind a spate of attacks targeting Türkiye during Syria's civil war. During the same war, the Turkish army launched cross-border offensives in Syria to drive out the YPG from its borders and help the Syrian opposition to liberate YPG-held towns.
The visit by the Turkish delegation is also expected to address emerging security risks in southern Syria stemming from Israel’s aggressive actions.
In the context of the shared interests of Türkiye and Syria, as well as Syria’s recent accession to the International Coalition to Defeat Daesh (ICDC), cooperation aimed at preventing the resurgence of the Daesh terrorist group, which seeks to exploit potential fragilities on the Syrian ground, will also be discussed.
In addition to security issues, which will constitute the main focus of the talks, the agenda includes a review of bilateral projects being carried out for Syria’s reconstruction and an evaluation of efforts to support the Syrian government’s capacity-building initiatives.
Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz, who has been appointed as Türkiye’s ambassador to Damascus, also traveled to the Syrian capital.
In the one year since the collapse of the Assad regime, Türkiye-Syria relations have gained momentum across many areas, with historic opportunities for bilateral and regional cooperation emerging, particularly in the fields of security and the economy.
While supporting efforts to heal the wounds left by the nearly 15-year Syrian conflict, Türkiye is also working to ensure that new cooperation opportunities are harnessed in a way that serves Syria’s stability and security in line with the interests of both countries.
In this context, Fidan paid his first visit to Syria following the fall of the Assad regime on Dec. 22, 2024.
In the period that followed, as a natural outcome of the positive atmosphere that has emerged in Syria’s new era, reciprocal high-level visits between Türkiye and Syria have continued.
Within this framework, meetings held in the 3+3 format between the two countries have taken on particular significance.
Accordingly, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani visited Türkiye on Jan. 15, accompanied by a high-level delegation. During the visit, Fidan, Güler and Kalın met with their Syrian counterparts.
Following that meeting, the Turkish foreign minister, national defense minister and intelligence chief paid a working visit to Syria on March 13.
Another meeting focusing on security cooperation and current developments between the two countries was held in Ankara on Oct. 12, with the participation of Fidan, Güler, Kalın and their Syrian counterparts.
