Damascus Ankara Dialogue on Stability and Regional Cooperation
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, and Director of the National Intelligence Organization İbrahim Kalın met in Damascus with Syrian President Ahmed al-Shar’ and the country’s senior officials.
The Turkish delegation was welcomed at Damascus International Airport by Syrian Foreign Minister Esad Hasan al-Sheybani, Defense Minister Merhef Abu Kasra, and Intelligence Chief Hussein al-Salame. Following this, meetings were held with the President, the Foreign Minister, the Defense Minister, and the Intelligence Chief of Syria.
At the joint press conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the S.D.G. forces showed no willingness to make further progress in negotiations on integration with the Syrian government. He added that the coordination of the S.D.G. with Israel in certain activities had become one of the serious obstacles in the dialogue process. Fidan also considered the repeal of the Caesar Act by the United States Senate a major advantage, saying that this step would allow investments to enter Syria.
Syrian Foreign Minister Esad Hasan al-Sheybani also said at the meeting that the S.D.G. forces had shown neither serious will nor any concrete step regarding the March 10 agreement, and that they were pursuing a delaying tactic. He emphasized that the Syrian government would pay greater attention to the Jazira region in northeastern Syria.
According to al-Sheybani, in President Ahmed al-Shar’s meeting with the Turkish delegation, issues such as the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Syria, strengthening economic and trade cooperation, intelligence and military collaboration, and the return of refugees were discussed. Combating terrorism, confronting ISIS, and preventing the re-emergence of this group in Syria were also among the main topics of the talks.
