Syria’s al-Sharaa, Turkiye’s Erdogan talk Kurdish fighters, defence pacts

At a meeting in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed developing security ties, including a plan to combat Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria.
Al-Sharaa made the second trip abroad on Tuesday after meeting Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh earlier this week. He has officially taken over as interim leader of Syria.
In a lightning offensive in December, Al-Sharaa led the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which oversaw Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Erdogan said Turkiye was prepared to work with Syria’s new leadership, particularly in the fight against ISIL and Kurdish fighters based in northeast Syria, during a press conference in Ankara.
“My brother Ahmed al-Sharaa’s strong commitment to the fight against terrorism is what we’re proud of,” Erdogan said.
According to Al-Sharaa, he stated that the United States is prepared to support Syria in its fight against all forms of terrorism, including the Kurdistan Workers Party and Daesh.
Turkiye, which shares a border with Syria, views several Syrian Kurdish groups located near its southern demarcation as “terrorists”. The People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the PKK are among them.
The YPG makes up a large portion of the United States-supported Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls a large swath of Syria’s northeast.
A US-led coalition fighting ISIL in Syria continues to rely heavily on the SDF. However, Turkish officials have been pushing more and more to appoint someone to lead the operation since al-Assad’s assassination.
Reporting from Ankara, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said that al-Sharaa received a “very warm welcome” from Erdogan as he again pushed to take over the anti-ISIL fight and promised to put pressure on Kurdish fighters.
The Syrian Democratic Forces and the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish fighter group, are in control, according to Koseoglu, who has since reiterated that Erdogan is ready to assist in bringing down the [ISIL prison] camps in north and eastern Syria.
“He said the fight against]ISIL] and the PKK should continue”.
Defence, migrants, trade
For his part, al-Sharaa said his government sought a “strategic partnership” with Turkiye as he invited Erdogan to visit Syria “at the earliest opportunity”.
The statements highlight a significant regional shift, with Ankara breaking ties with Damascus in 2011 following the start of Syria’s civil war. Turkiye opposed al-Assad throughout the conflict.
To ensure Syria and Turkiye permanent security and stability, we are “working on building a strategic partnership with Turkiye to face the security threats in the region,” al-Sharaa said.
He added that the two had a discussion about “threats that prevent territorial unity in northeastern Syria,” which appeared to be a reference to the US-backed SDF. Al-Sharaa has urged the SDF to hand over their weapons and has rejected any form of Kurdish self-government.
A new defense pact that has received a lot of coverage in recent days was also discussed by the leaders, according to Koseoglu. Beyond the ones that are already present along Turkiye’s border, the pact could allow Turkiye to establish new bases in Syria.
“Turkeyye has still got its military bases built there over the past few years to protect its borders from the PKK and YPG attacks. They haven’t shut down”, Koseoglu said.  , “But they are talking about new military bases. The whereabouts are, for now, unknown”.
Erdogan pledged to continue to lobby for the lifting of all sanctions against Syria under al-Assad’s rule following the meeting. Al-Sharaa’s top priority has been removing the sanctions, which he has done in recent weeks with an aggressive diplomatic approach.
Erdogan added that while in the transitional period, it was crucial for Arab and Muslim nations to support the new Damascus government financially and otherwise.
Erdogan said he hoped the Syrians’ voluntary return would increase as the country grew more stable.
After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Turkiye hosted the most Syrian refugees, reaching its highest level in 2022, or over 3.8 million.
Source: Aljazeera
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