Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters on Tuesday that Türkiye fully endorsed a deal between the Syrian administration and the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG. Fidan underlined that the deal should be implemented despite challenges.
He said Türkiye played a constructive role in Syria. The minister, who received U.S. envoy Tom Barrack earlier on Tuesday, said they exchanged views on the issue.
"What we are looking at is the existence of an agreement," Fidan told Anadolu Agency (AA) and broadcaster TRT.
On Sunday evening, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa announced a cease-fire and an agreement for the full integration of the YPG into state institutions.
Under the deal, the YPG will withdraw its military formations east of the Euphrates River and hand over administrative and security control of Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces to the Syrian state.
The agreement also provides for the integration of YPG members into the Syrian ministries of defense and interior following individual security vetting, as well as the transfer of border crossings, oil and gas fields, and civilian institutions to government control.
The announcement followed a military operation launched by the Syrian army, through which it regained wide areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated violations by the YPG of earlier agreements signed with Damascus nearly a year ago.
He said that while Türkiye has specific reservations, it prefers to set them aside and prioritize support for the agreement as a matter of policy.
"It is also extremely important that the decree issued by President al-Sharaa grants the rights of our Kurdish brothers, who for many years under the Assad era had been deprived of certain rights," he said. Fidan stressed that the decree is of critical importance both in guaranteeing cultural rights and in enabling citizens to feel safer and more included in public life.
The minister also said Ankara views the ongoing manipulations by the YPG regarding released Daesh members with "great concern."
Syria's Interior Ministry said Monday that the YPG release of Daesh detainees from al-Shaddadi prison in the northeastern Hassakeh province constitutes a "serious security breach" threatening Syrian, regional and international security. On Tuesday, 81 of the 120 released Daesh detainees were recaptured, according to the ministry.
Fidan added that he recently spoke with U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack to discuss his impressions from talks in Damascus.
"We underlined that Türkiye will continue to play a constructive role. They acknowledged and appreciated these efforts," he said.