- Ankara and Damascus are preparing an agreement to strengthen training and capacity in earthquake response, disaster management, and emergency coordination, Raed al-Saleh tells Anadolu
- ‘Our message to Syrians is that we are building a truly safe society. We will always be there to serve them, protect them and their property during natural or other disasters,’ says minister
DAMASCUS
Syria’s cooperation with Türkiye has entered a new phase, evolving into what Emergency and Disaster Response Minister Raed al-Saleh describes as a “strategic partnership” shaping disaster response, mine clearance and reconstruction across the country.
Speaking to Anadolu on the country’s first year after the fall of the Assad regime, he said Türkiye now plays “a major role” in Syria’s most critical operations, including seismic monitoring, wildfire response and landmine removal, as the two nations work to rebuild systems dismantled or neglected during the previous regime.
Damascus and Ankara are finalizing a memorandum of understanding between his ministry and Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) to strengthen training and capacity building in earthquake response, disaster management, and emergency coordination, he added.
Saleh stressed that the stability of both countries is interconnected.
“Security in Syria is linked to security in Türkiye, and security in Türkiye is linked to security in Syria,” he said.
He pointed to strong social ties, including intermarriage, millions of displaced Syrians who lived in Türkiye, and educational and military exchanges. He added that Syrian officer cadets are now studying in Turkish military academies and Syrian pilots are training in Türkiye for the first time.
“I can say there are 4 million bridges between Türkiye and Syria – 4 million Syrians who lived in Türkiye,” he said.
Shift from reaction to prevention
Saleh said Syria is using regional partnerships, including with Türkiye, to build a national emergency system almost from scratch following the fall of the regime.
Syria is vulnerable to earthquakes, floods, severe heatwaves, prolonged droughts and wildfires.
His ministry’s first challenges were to expand services across newly recovered provinces, respond to wildfires and displacement, and stabilize essential agencies.
“It was a year full of emergency response … Full of challenges and difficulties,” he said.
At the same time, they were planning, organizing, and building new national institutions such as the National Mine Action Center, the National Earthquake Center, the National Meteorology Department, and new directorates for civil defense, disaster management and emergency recovery.
Saleh said the work hopes to shift Syria from reaction to prevention.
“We will work on disaster preparedness, reducing loss of life and property, identifying Syria’s full risk matrix, and establishing a national early warning system,” he said.
From White Helmets to state leadership
Saleh was the long-time head of the Syria Civil Defense – commonly known as the White Helmets – a volunteer humanitarian group that responded to aerial and land bombings and provided emergency services like firefighting and health care where state institutions were absent.
He acknowledged the difficulty of moving from the flexible structure of the White Helmets to the government.
“Civil society organizations enjoy flexibility and rapid movement. Government work is bound by bureaucratic regulations that limit flexibility,” he said.
His goal, he added, is to build a governmental system that incorporates the agility of civil society while maintaining transparency and institutional discipline.
“My major challenge is merging flexibility with bureaucracy and transparency,” he said.
Mine clearance, debris removal and joint operations with Türkiye
Saleh said landmines, unexploded ordnance and rubble remain among Syria’s largest post-war obstacles.
These issues “obstruct development, reconstruction, food security, the safe return of children to schools and the return of displaced people from camps to their areas,” he said.
Syria has already removed more than 1 million cubic meters of rubble, he said – roughly twice the amount generated by the 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquakes – and is developing recycling programs to use debris for road materials and industrial zones.
He confirmed that Turkish mine-clearing equipment has also begun operating in several parts of Syria.
“Several specialized mine-clearing machines entered service with the Syrian army and are operating now in different areas,” he said.
Saleh added that Türkiye and Syria will deepen cooperation on wildfire response and coordinated disaster management along the border.
“Disasters do not recognize borders,” he said. “There will be a joint operations room on the Syrian-Turkish border to respond to emergencies, manage disasters, and protect forests.”
He said Syria is also drawing on Türkiye’s expertise in drought management and earthquake preparedness while developing its own national early warning system.
A new Syria built on peace
Saleh said the transitional government aims to rebuild public trust and create a safer state.
“Our message to Syrians is that we are building a truly safe society,” he said. “We will always be there to serve them, protect them and their property during natural or other disasters.”
The fall of Bashar al-Assad last December ended the Baath Party’s brutal six-decade rule, and a transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.
Saleh said the new government aims to demonstrate a decisive break from the past.
“The new Syria, with its new leadership and policies, is built on openness, cooperation and peacebuilding,” he said.
“Syria will become a source of stability and safety for neighboring countries and the world – unlike the past years, when it was a source of threat, Captagon trafficking and atrocious human rights violations.”
