Türkiye and Syria are inching toward a normalization deal but a bumpy road is expected for both. Syrian leader Bashar Assad recently reiterated Damascus’ condition to restore ties: the withdrawal of Turkish troops and giving up support for “terrorism” in reference to Ankara’s endorsement of the Syrian opposition.
Defense Ministry sources said on Thursday that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan demonstrated a will for dialogue with Syria and was looking forward to normalization while assuring Damascus of the Turkish military presence in the country.
“Türkiye is in Syria to fend off terrorist attacks and threats against its territories, under the principle of legitimate defense, to protect its borders and as a measure against a fait accompli on the establishment of a terror corridor in Syria’s north,” sources said.
“Türkiye contributes most to Syria’s territorial integrity. Turkish operations did this. Türkiye desires eradication of terrorism in Syria, preservation of territorial integrity, re-establishment of political stability and a peaceful life for people of Syria,” sources stated.
Assad said last week that his potential meeting with Erdoğan depended on the “content” as the two countries attempt to revive years of frozen relations.
"If the meeting were to lead to results or ... achieve the country's interests, I will do it. But the problem ... lies in the content of the meeting," Assad told journalists.
He noted that he would attend such a meeting if it addresses the withdrawal of Turkish troops from northwest Syria.
He continued by saying that Damascus was “positive” toward initiatives to improve relations with Türkiye but he added: “That doesn't mean we go (to a meeting) without rules."
Also last week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye's contact with Syria is ongoing on every level as Ankara signaled more progress in normalization.
President Erdoğan said recently that Türkiye and Syria would determine a road map to revive long-frozen relations between the two neighbors and would take steps accordingly, as he returned from his trip to the United States to attend the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington.
For the first time since relations soured over unrest that began in Syria in 2011, Erdoğan earlier this month said Türkiye will extend a formal invitation to Assad, who was once a close friend.
His invitation came after the Syrian leader last month said Damascus was open to all initiatives to revive Turkish-Syrian relations “as long as they are based on respecting the sovereignty of the Syrian state over all its territory and fighting all forms of terrorism.”
Türkiye repeatedly declared that its support for the Syrian opposition’s armed forces primarily aims to ensure a terror-free northern Syria immediately across the Turkish border, which suffered several cross-border attacks by the PKK in the past, and that it respects Syria’s sovereignty.
The Damascus-based regime and Ankara sought reconciliation in 2023 with talks sponsored by Assad’s main backers, Russia and Iran, but so far, meetings of Turkish and Syrian regime ministers have failed to produce a solid result in normalization.
Turkish-Syrian relations saw a decline in 1998 when Türkiye accused Syria of supporting the PKK, a terrorist group responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in its decadeslong terror campaign against Türkiye.
Tensions further escalated in 2011 due to the start of the Syrian civil war and a subsequent influx of migrants numbering over 4 million.
The push for restoring relations also comes after recent riots in central Türkiye that targeted Syrian refugees and led to vandalism of their residences and businesses. The riots triggered suspicions that the riots, coupled with anti-Turkish attacks in Syria’s north, may be the work of a wider provocation as they later spilled over into several Turkish cities.
