Author: Daily Sabah

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan after meeting Syria’s de-facto leader in Damascus on Sunday said there was no room for the PKK/YPG in Syria’s future, calling for the terrorist group to disband and stressing that Syria’s territorial integrity is “non-negotiable.” Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the PKK, which fought the Turkish state in a four-decade terror campaign and is classified as a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and the European Union. Sunday’s visit to Damascus by Fidan, the first foreign minister to visit Damascus since Bashar Assad’s overthrow two weeks ago, came amid hostilities in northeast Syria…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday met Ahmed al-Sharaa who led anti-regime forces that toppled the Assad regime. The minister’s visit came one day after he announced his plans to visit the country and weeks after the Turkish intelligence chief became the first high-ranking Turkish official to travel to post-Assad Damascus. Ankara was among the first countries to congratulate the victory of the people of Syria to oust the oppressive regime of Bashar Assad after years of conflict in the country that displaced millions and sent them fleeing into Türkiye. Fidan was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz,…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan instructed his ministers to address all the needs of Syrian refugees on their way back to their homeland, now liberated from the oppressive Assad regime. Sabah newspaper reported that the president discussed developments in Syria with high-ranking officials and ordered addressing demands and requests of Syrians. The newspaper reported that the new administration of Syria also contacted Ankara for support “in every field” in post-Assad Syria, which is in dire need of recovery and rebuilding after years of war. Türkiye plans to set up a joint committee of Syrian and Turkish ministers for better cooperation, while…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the Syrian people for their resilience against oppression, in a letter he penned for Syrians, which was sent to Türkiye’s southern neighbor with 75,000 aid boxes on Friday. “Together we will build the Syria of the future, filled with happiness, prosperity and peace,” Erdoğan said in the letter. The letter, translated into Arabic, was placed inside 75,000 aid boxes prepared by the Culture Ministry’s General Directorate of Foundations. Reiterating Türkiye’s determination to stand in solidarity with Syrians, Erdoğan said they resisted oppression and made history. Boxes containing food supplies to be sent to Syria are…

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock that the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian offshoot YPG does not represent the Kurds in Syria and that it is essential that the terrorist group lay down its arms and dissolve. Fidan and Baerbock held a meeting in the capital Ankara on Friday. As Syria grapples with forming a new government following the fall of Assad, Germany, France and the United States have rushed to guarantee the ‘rights’ of their ally PKK/YPG and push Türkiye into negotiating with terrorists. Baerbock previously said she would make clear to Türkiye on her visit…

Türkiye’s “National Security Policy Document,” colloquially known as the “Red Book,” is getting its long-awaited update, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Thursday. Since the start of the year, the Office of the Secretary-General of the National Security Council has been in touch with ministries and relevant institutions for input into the document. A secret meeting chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz with top security measures earlier in December tackled the changes planned for the “Red Book” in detail. The changes will be presented at the next National Security Council (MGK) meeting, convened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The document, once termed…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday that rebuilding, recovery of a terror-free Syria was their sincere expectation as he addressed a summit of D-8 countries’ leaders in Cairo, Egypt. “We should stand with people of Syria in this difficult process,” the president added. DETAILS TO FOLLOW…

Bayern Munich will aim to take a giant leap toward securing the Bundesliga title when they host RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on Friday, as Vincent Kompany’s side seeks to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season. Despite leading the league with 33 points from 14 matches, Bayern were beaten 2-1 by Mainz 05 on Dec. 14, ending their unbeaten run. The loss was a wake-up call for Kompany’s team, which registered just one shot on target, a far cry from their usual 7.8 attempts per game. “We weren’t at our best,” said the Belgian coach. “We’ll…

Fenerbahçe head into Friday’s Turkish Süper Lig clash against Eyüpspor at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium determined to avoid their first back-to-back away defeats of the season. A loss here could deal a major blow to their title ambitions, with the gap to league leaders Galatasaray already stretched to six points. Eyüpspor, meanwhile, is looking to defend their position in the top four, currently sitting in fourth place with 26 points, just one point ahead of fifth-placed Göztepe. However, their recent form has been inconsistent, having suffered a 2-0 defeat to Kasımpaşa last Friday. Despite the setback, they remain strong at…

Devlet Bahçeli, chair of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the main ally of the government, held talks with visiting commanders of the Syrian National Army (SNA) in the capital of Ankara. The party’s social media account on Wednesday shared photos of Bahçeli with Seyf Ebubekir Polat, who heads a special forces branch of the Second Corps of SNA, Muhammet Casim, who commands Süleyman Şah Division of the army and Tarık Sülo Cevizci, president of Federation of Syrian Turkmen Associations. The party said it was the delegation’s second visit, where they “exchanged views with Mr. Bahçeli on the situation in the…