Syria’s al-Sharaa, Turkey’s Erdogan discuss Kurdish fighters, defence pacts
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 turning 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 stated Turkiye is able to associate with Syria’s new management, significantly when it got here to combating the armed group ISIL (ISIS) and Kurdish fighters based mostly in northeast Syria.
“I wish to categorical our satisfaction for the robust dedication my brother Ahmed al-Sharaa has proven within the battle in opposition to terrorism,” Erdogan stated.
“I advised al-Sharaa we’re prepared to supply the required help to Syria within the battle in opposition to all types of terrorism, whether or not it’s Daesh or the PKK,” he added, referring to the Arabic acronym for ISIL and the Kurdistan Employees’ Occasion.
Turkiye, which shares a border with Syria, views a number of Syrian Kurdish teams situated close to its southern demarcation as “terrorists”. These embrace the PKK in addition to the Folks’s Protection Unit (YPG).
The YPG makes up a big portion of the US-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 because the fall of al-Assad, Turkish officers have more and more pushed to take over the operation.
Reporting from Ankara, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu stated al-Sharaa obtained a “very heat welcome” from Erdogan as he once more pushed to take over the anti-ISIL battle and vowed 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 stated.
“He stated the battle in opposition to [ISIL] and the PKK ought to proceed.”
Defence, migrants, commerce
For his half, al-Sharaa stated his authorities sought a “strategic partnership” with Turkey as he invited Erdogan to go to Syria “on the earliest alternative”.
The statements underscore a serious realignment within the area with Ankara having severed ties with Damascus in 2011 after the outbreak of Syria’s civil battle and 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 stated.
He added the pair mentioned “threats that stop 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 had been broadly reported in latest days, Koseoglu reported. The pact might see Turkey set up new bases in Syria, past people who exist already alongside Turkey’s border.
“The navy 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 stated. “However they’re speaking about new navy 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. Aid from the sanctions has been al-Sharaa’s high precedence as he has undertaken an aggressive diplomatic push in latest weeks.
Erdogan added it’s essential for Arab and Muslim international locations to help 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 stated he believed the voluntary return of Syrians would choose up tempo because the nation turns into extra steady.
Turkiye hosted the best variety of Syrian refugees following the outbreak of the Syrian civil battle in 2011 – greater than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.
The pair additionally mentioned financial ties. That comes as Turkish transport and manufacturing corporations have more and more eyed enlargement plans for Syria.
