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, Turkish charge d’affaires Burhan Köroğlu who was recently appointed to the reopened Embassy of Türkiye in Damascus while Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, who was appointed as the new foreign minister of Syria, accompanied al-Sharaa.
Since anti-regime forces led by al-Sharaa declared victory against Assad, countries are sending representatives to Damascus to establish ties with the new administration. On Friday, Barbara Leaf, Washington’s top diplomat for the Middle East led a U.S. delegation in talks with al-Sharaa and announced the lifting of a bounty for al-Sharaa that the U.S. had declared previously for the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Türkiye sees an opportunity in rebuilding and recovery of war-torn Syria in the new administration and pledged to help the nation. Ankara already had good ties with the Syrian opposition whose forces recently cleared two northern Syrian towns from the terrorist PKK/YPG.
‘We will never forget’
In a joint news conference later in the day, al-Sharaa said that Syria will remember Türkiye’s contribution, saying: Our ‘friendly country, Türkiye’ has stood by Syrians since the beginning of the revolution … We will never forget.”
Al-Sharaa, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, added that he discussed the country’s future with the visiting Turkish foreign minister.
On his part, Minister Fidan said that the Turkish state, its people and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will always stand by Syria and its people.
He added that Syria’s territorial integrity is non-negotiable and reiterated that there was no place for the PKK/YPG terrorist group in the country.
Fidan also called on the international community to lift “as soon as possible” the existing sanctions on Damascus to allow Syria to get back on its feet and refugees to return home.
“The sanctions imposed on the previous regime need to be lifted as soon as possible,” he said, adding that “the international community needs to mobilize to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return.”
He also condemned Israel for exploiting the current situation in Syria to seize more Syrian territories.
‘Excellent cooperation’
Earlier Saturday, in an interview with France 24, Fidan said that HTS had “excellent cooperation” with Ankara in the battle against Daesh and al-Qaida in the past through intelligence sharing. In the same interview, Fidan described the U.S. delegation’s visit to Damascus as very significant, mentioning that prior to the U.S. officials’ visit, European countries and global organizations had already met with the new administration.
“I think it is very significant. Before this visit, we’ve seen other European countries and international organizations visiting Damascus and contacting the new administration there. I think it is important,” said Fidan in an interview with France 24 channel in the Turkish capital Ankara. Fidan also said on Saturday that Ankara is working to create an environment where Syrians can return to their country safely. “We are trying to work hard to create an environment in Syria where the refugees in Türkiye, as well as in other countries, can feel that voluntarily, safely, they can go back. We cannot dictate them, and we are not going to force them to go back,” he added. He stated that there may certainly be a significant increase in returns to Syria in the coming period.
On Trump’s remarks regarding the fall of Bashar Assad in Syria where he described Türkiye made an unfriendly takeover in Syria, Fidan said: “I think he was trying to compliment what had happened. But, we cannot characterize what happened in Syria as a takeover of Türkiye, on the contrary, if there is any takeover, it is a takeover of the will of the Syrian people.”
On Friday, 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 southeastern neighbor with 75,000 aid boxes. “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. “You never despaired,” Erdoğan said in his letter, adding that the Syrians always had faith in God and sought his help, which ultimately led them to victory. The president continued by saying that the Syrian people are behind the victory and he salutes and congratulates them. Noting that Türkiye always supported their struggle against the Assad regime’s oppression, Erdoğan said the country would continue to support their struggle for development. “Today is a better day than yesterday and hopefully, tomorrow will be even better,” he said.