Achieving concrete results in the fight against terrorism is "imperative" for progress in engagement with the Bashar Assad regime, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said.

"We continue our engagement process with the regime in a quadrilateral format without preconditions and in good faith. The Syrian regime should act in the same manner for this process to produce an outcome, Altun said in an exclusive interview with Daily Sabah; however, underlining that both countries are in the initial stage of determining how bilateral relations will be advanced.

"PKK/YPG/PYD and affiliated so-called "Syrian Democratic Forces" pose an existential threat to our national security. It is, therefore, imperative to get some concrete results in combating terrorism. Eventually, this terrorist organization targets the territorial unity and integrity of Syria. We expect the regime to act in accordance with the facts on the ground," he emphasized.

"Hence, insisting on the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria at this stage does not make any sense. Our existence in Syria is also a guarantee for their territorial integrity."

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield in 2016, Olive Branch in 2018 and Peace Spring in 2019.

The PKK terrorist group’s Syrian wing, the YPG, has controlled much of northeastern Syria after Assad’s forces withdrew in 2012.

Altun further said that besides the fight against terrorism, creating necessary conditions for voluntary, safe and dignified returns of Syrian refugees and revitalizing the political process – which the regime has obstructed – continue to be among Ankara’s main priorities in Syria.

Russia’s long-standing effort to open a channel of dialogue between Türkiye and the Bashar Assad regime paid off last year, as the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Türkiye, Russia and the Assad regime met in Moscow on Dec. 28.

In November, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said a meeting with Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad was possible after having severed diplomatic ties with Damascus throughout the 11-year conflict.

Any normalization between Ankara and Damascus would reshape the decadelong Syrian war. Turkish backing has been vital to sustaining moderate Syrian opposition in their last significant territorial foothold in the northwest after Assad defeated opponents across the rest of the country, aided by Russia and Iran.

‘Continuity’

In the past few years, Ankara has engaged in a regional normalization process with countries including Armenia, Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, leaving behind years of strained ties.

Being asked whether this marked the beginning of a new course for Ankara’s foreign policy, Altun highlighted that "continuity is the basis of Turkish foreign policy."

Reiterating the words of President Erdoğan, Altun said that Türkiye aims to decrease the number of foes and increase the number of allies.

"Today, again, we are in search of further strengthening our friendships and finding solutions to conflicting issues. Despite all the challenges we have faced in recent years, Türkiye has not lost ground but gained additional ground by utilizing windows of opportunity. It has played an active role in solving regional and global problems; has displayed a responsible, people-oriented, conscientious and moral understanding," he elaborated.

Within this scope, Türkiye will continue developing its relations with neighboring countries based on international law while preserving its rights and interests.

"Within the framework of our increasing opportunities and capabilities, we will continue to carry out our foreign policy with an entrepreneurial and humanitarian approach in order to ensure security, stability and prosperity both in our region and at the global level."

‘Growing synergy’

As part of this foreign policy strategy, the Turkish president embarked on a comprehensive Gulf tour last week, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

The three-day tour comes after Erdoğan secured reelection in late May and builds on Ankara’s diplomatic efforts since 2021 to normalize relations.

"Our country has strong historical, human and cultural ties with the friendly and brotherly Gulf countries. We witness that our trade volume with the Gulf region has grown more than 12 times in the past 20 years, reaching the level of $22 billion. Considering the complementary structure of our economies, we believe that the joint works we will carry out in the upcoming period on a win-win basis will generate great synergy," Altun pointed out.

He said that recent high-level visits between Türkiye and the Gulf have brought out new areas of cooperation in several fields.

Altun continued to highlight that the acceleration in ties showed that a level of strategic partnership was reached with the Gulf.

Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed several lucrative contracts, including Riyadh agreeing to buy famed Turkish drones from drone magnate Baykar. The value of the deal has not been made public. Baykar said in a statement the deal included the export of its landmark Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the larger sibling of its battle-proven combat drone Bayraktar TB2.

The accord entails cooperation in technology transfer and joint production, the company said.

The two countries also inked several memorandums of understanding in different sectors, including energy, defense, real estate and direct investments. The MoU in energy includes cooperation in producing, marketing and distributing refined petroleum products and in petrochemicals production.

"Large-scale investments and cooperation projects, including joint production, which will be closely followed throughout the globe, will be at the fore in our relations with Saudi Arabia in the upcoming period," Altun said.

On the other hand, he reminded that Türkiye and Qatar marked 50 years of diplomatic ties during the visit, reiterating the level reached in relations and future goals.

Ankara and Doha have enjoyed strong relations, particularly since the 2017 blockade of the Gulf country by Saudi Arabia and others. The two countries have strengthened military and economic ties in recent years.

Reminding that a joint statement was signed between the two countries, Altun added: "Türkiye and Qatar, which have a common stance on many issues, will continue their regular consultation and close coordination in the coming period."

On the visit to the UAE, which constituted the last leg of Erdoğan’s Gulf tour, Altun said that Abu Dhabi is Türkiye’s biggest trade partner in the Gulf. Furthermore, the two country’s leaders agreed on creating a High-Level Strategic Council mechanism.

Türkiye and the UAE signed 13 agreements worth $50.7 billion and ties have been elevated to the level of strategic partnership due to the agreement. The parties also decided to advance the existing cooperation in energy, transportation, infrastructure, logistics, e-commerce, finance, health, food, tourism, real estate, construction, defense industry, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.

Altun said that the two countries might organize a trade and investment forum in Istanbul in autumn, while he expected the bilateral trade volume to grow further with the entering into force of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on Sept. 1.

Enduring visa problem

On the other side, Altun also spoke on the enduring problem of Turkish citizens getting Schengen and U.S. visas. He reiterated that the Foreign Ministry sent a diplomatic note to the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. while meetings were held on a deputy foreign minister level with the embassies of Western countries, during which complaint was voiced.

He said that the explanation these Western countries gave to Turkish officials was that no policy alteration was the case but that the problems arose due to a lack of personnel.

"It can be observed that visa problems continue ever-increasingly," Altun said.

"The visa problems experienced continue to be brought to the attention of the authorities of Western countries on every platform, and we continue to seek solutions."

Delays and rejections mounted in the past year, blocking the travel of Turkish tourists to EU countries.

In 2022, approximately 15% of Schengen visa applications made through missions in Türkiye were rejected, while this rate has risen to around 50% this year.

Türkiye and the bloc enjoy good trade ties and decades of migration; however, relations are strained over multiple issues, including the prolonged modernization process, expansion of the scope of the current customs union agreement and EU policies on refugees from Syria.