US support for stability in Syria ‘extremely important,’ says Turkish foreign minister

ANKARA/ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that “it is extremely important that the US support order prosperity and stability in Syria,” during a live broadcast on Turkish news channel A Haber.

Noting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s September meeting with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, he said they discussed major topics concerning relations and regional dynamics.

Fidan said Türkiye’s recent “foreign policy performance” and its reliability as a partner have made it “a sought-after actor for cooperation on many issues.”

The talks in the US, he said, again brought forward matters of critical importance for both countries, the wider region and global peace and stability.

He underlined that maintaining a shared understanding and close coordination is essential to safeguard and advance Türkiye’s national interests, adding that discussions at the White House focused on Syria, Palestine and Ukraine.

Highlighting Türkiye’s work in Syria, from stabilizing the region to enabling refugee returns and supporting the new administration’s bid for international legitimacy, Fidan said the efforts are “rarely seen in history.”

He added that countries closely following developments recognize how moral and dignified Türkiye’s policy has been.

Fidan emphasized that Türkiye’s efforts to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and the well-being of its people, while seeking to move forward collectively with regional countries, is an approach only states with a deep strategic culture can pursue.

Türkiye’s presence in Syria, he said, is natural, as addressing the country’s problems benefits not only Türkiye.

The key distinction in Türkiye’s foreign policy, he added, is that it does not act solely for its own advantage but aims to advance shared regional interests.

- Türkiye, US must build ‘shared understanding’ on PKK/YPG issue

Fidan said the issue of the PKK/YPG terror organization, which operates under the name of the SDF in Syria, has been a major topic in talks with Washington, stressing that progress requires “a shared understanding.”

Noting that the US built certain mechanisms and political investments under the pretext of fighting ISIS/Daesh, he said that “rolling this back” and resolving it in a way that serves all sides requires “care, order and patience.”

He noted the importance of contacts between Damascus and the YPG, saying the talks were recently interrupted due to developments following Israel’s intervention in southern Syria.

Fidan added that “the primary concern for both Türkiye and the US is to ensure that Israel ceases to be a threat to Syria and Syria does not become a threat to Israel, and all sides respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

He stressed that parts of Syria remain under occupation and the “occupation must end,” while no actor should adopt a posture that threatens the rest of the country.

“We expect the talks the YPG is conducting with Damascus to evolve to a certain point,” he said, noting that negotiations are ongoing with the US as well as through Türkiye’s own channels.

Efforts continue to steer all tracks toward a concrete result, he said, adding that one of the main reasons for pauses in the Damascus-YPG dialogue is the group’s tendency to stray from its course and seek opportunities in new regional crises.

Fidan also pointed to Israeli provocations in southern Syria, particularly targeting the Druze community, and described the removal of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara and his colleagues from the UN terror list as “a very significant diplomatic move,” thanking members of the UN Security Council.