The Turkish army is ready to support Syria in the post-Assad era, Defense Ministry sources said Thursday. It will be one of many aspects of cooperation Türkiye already announced with Syria after the December revolution.
Military cooperation is crucial for the two countries, especially amid the terrorism threat concentrated in northern Syria, near the border.
Sources said Türkiye was following the developments in Syria in terms of efforts to revive the state institutions controlled by the powerful Baathist regime in the past. They stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has already instructed relevant authorities to maintain strategic ties with the new Syrian administration and efforts were underway to that extent, including talks with Syrian counterparts.
“Defense cooperation is essential not only for reinforcing our security but also to ensure regional peace. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will stand with the people of Syria and provide assistance in fields directly related to defense during the current transition process in Syria. The Foreign Ministry coordinates these efforts. Once all state organs in Syria are fully restored to serve the country, we will hold talks with our counterparts and prepare a new road map,” sources said.
Ankara has thrown its full support behind the new administration, with Erdoğan repeatedly congratulating the “magnificent victory of our Syrian brothers and sisters.” Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan were among the first high-ranking officials from Türkiye to visit Damascus and meet Ahmed al-Sharaa, the de facto leader of the country.
Planned military cooperation with Syria comes at a time of rising threat from Israel, which occupied the Golan Heights in the aftermath of Assad’s fall, and the presence of the PKK terrorist group’s wing YPG in northeastern Syria. Türkiye held several cross-border offensives into Syria in the past to clear PKK/YPG and Daesh’s presence in the north, assisting opposition forces. Fidan recently revealed that al-Sharaa’s forces helped Türkiye in terms of intelligence in the fight against terrorism during those cross-border offensives.
Separately, Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Adm. Zeki Aktürk told a weekly press briefing in the capital, Ankara, on Thursday that bilateral cooperation with Syria is a priority for Türkiye in terms of both national and regional stability.
Aktürk, stressing that a new chapter has been opened in post-Assad Syria after a dark era, stated: “We support steps toward peace, tranquility and stability and affirm the necessity of preserving the territorial integrity and unitary structure of our southern neighbor.”
He added: “We reiterate our support for the new Syrian administration’s call and efforts for a unified army, as well as our desire to work jointly with the Syrian administration on combating terrorism.”
“We emphasize once again that there will be no place for terrorist entities, including Daesh, the PKK/YPG or their extensions, in Syria’s and our region’s future and we will not allow them.”
“Efforts to ensure the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrians will continue and as always, we will stand by the Syrian people in the future as we have until now,” he said. During the Syrian civil war, Türkiye took in some 4 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.
He stressed the importance of defense cooperation between the Turkish Armed Forces and Syria’s new administration in the coming days, calling it not only a significant opportunity for the interests of both countries but also for regional peace and stability. “With Türkiye’s strong defense industry infrastructure, expertise in defense technologies and the combat experience of its military, which is an example for many countries, we believe it will make significant contributions to enhancing Syria’s security and defense capacities,” he said.
Pointing to Türkiye’s ongoing preventive operations carried out domestically and across borders to entirely eliminate the terrorist threat to Türkiye and also contribute to the region’s security and stability, Aktürk said: “In the past week, there have been 72 harassment and attack attempts on our units, 17 in Iraq and 55 in Syrian operational areas.”
“Immediate and proportional responses to these harassment and attacks, which also harm civilians in the region, along with ongoing operations, have neutralized 62 terrorists in the past week, including northern Iraq and Syria,” he noted. “Thus, the number of terrorists (eliminated) this year has reached 3,021.”
“Syria has entered a new era. Syria now belongs to Syrians. As we have done so far, we will continue to stand by the Syrian people in the future,” Aktürk said.
“In this context, without compromising the fight against terrorism, we will maintain close cooperation and coordination with the new administration to ensure Syria’s territorial integrity, political unity, security and stability,” he stressed.