Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had phone calls with his counterparts and is set to meet visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as a conflict next door is brewing.
Fidan last held talks with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Sunday, during which the two diplomats discussed developments in Syria. On Saturday, he had a phone call with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Sani to discuss the situation in Syria and efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, according to diplomatic sources. Also, on Saturday, he discussed the issue with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on the phone after another call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Syria. The Foreign Ministry said Abbas Araghchi of Iran was set to visit Türkiye on Monday, one day after his scheduled trip to Damascus.
Iraq neighbors both Syria and Türkiye and its border with Syria was closed on Sunday. Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad S. Al Sudani spoke late Saturday with Syria’s Bashar Assad on the telephone to discuss developments in Syria. In a statement from Sudani’s office, which also covered developments regarding the situation in the region, the prime minister emphasized that Syria’s security and stability are closely linked to Iraq’s national security. Sudani also noted that the security and stability of both countries can be affected by regional security developments.
Lebanon, which has been home to one of the largest Syrian refugee communities after Türkiye, saw several leaving the country in the face of recent Israeli aggression targeting Beirut and other cities. Russia is a major ally of the Assad regime, providing air support during anti-regime forces’ latest advances. Moscow, on the other hand, maintains close ties with Türkiye.
The minister was quoted by Turkish media earlier that Türkiye had no part in ongoing clashes in Aleppo as anti-regime forces claimed the capture of the key Syrian province. Fidan affirmed that Türkiye had taken necessary measures on its border with Syria and would not “take any action that may trigger a new wave of migration.” Türkiye is home to the largest Syrian refugee community that fled into the country after the unrest in Syria escalated into a civil war more than a decade ago.
Maintaining calm in Idlib and the adjacent region, which is at the zero point of Türkiye’s border, is a priority for Ankara, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said Friday, as he said ongoing attacks in the region must come to an end.
Noting that Türkiye fulfills the requirements of all agreements, Keçeli said Ankara issued warnings about the recent attacks on Idlib, which have reached a level that undermines the implementation of the Astana agreements. “We have emphasized that these attacks must come to an end. In fact, the recent clashes have resulted in an undesirable escalation of tensions in the region,” Keçeli said, adding that Türkiye prioritizes stability and the safety of civilians. “At the same time, we are closely monitoring the increase in attacks against civilians and against Türkiye by terrorist groups in Tal Rifaat and Manbij, who are trying to take advantage of the current environment of instability,” Keçeli said.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said Türkiye was concerned that previous deals ordering the removal of terrorists from specific regions have not been fulfilled, as he reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.
Türkiye has the longest border with Syria, which complicated matters when the civil war broke out in its southern neighbor. First, it dealt with the flow of foreign fighters seeking to join the terrorist group Daesh through its borders in the early years of the conflict. When Daesh stepped up attacks both in Syria and in Türkiye, Ankara openly supported the Syrian opposition against the terrorist group and helmed a military offensive to eradicate Daesh in northern Syria. It also helped the Syrian opposition to drive away the YPG, the Syrian wing of the terrorist group PKK, as it seized several areas close to the Turkish border that had been used as a launchpad for attacks on Turkish border towns.