Assad says relations with Turkey not conditional on troop pullout

Assad says relations with Turkey not conditional on troop withdrawal — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivering a speech at the Syrian Parliament, August 25, 2024. Photo: SANA/via iKurd.net

DAMASCUS,— Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stated on Sunday that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory is not a precondition for reestablishing ties between the two countries.

In a speech delivered to the Syrian parliament, Assad dismissed claims that Syria had demanded the removal of Turkish troops as a prerequisite for talks, emphasizing that such assertions were inaccurate and did not reflect the reality of the situation.

Assad’s comments came in response to recent statements from Turkish officials suggesting that Syria had set conditions for engaging in dialogue.

“The recent statements by some Turkish officials claiming that Syria has insisted on a Turkish withdrawal as a condition for any meetings are incorrect.” He further clarified, “This talk is far from reality,” signaling a potential shift in Syria’s stance toward Turkey.

The relationship between Syria and Turkey has been strained since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially supported opposition forces seeking to overthrow Assad’s government, a stance that led to a deep rift between the two neighbors. However, in recent years, Erdogan’s approach has shifted, and there have been efforts, notably mediated by Russia, to restore ties between Damascus and Ankara.

Since 2022, high-level discussions have taken place between Syrian and Turkish officials, with Russia playing a key role in facilitating these talks. Moscow, a crucial ally of Assad, has been advocating for a rapprochement between Syria and Turkey as part of its broader strategy in the region.

Turkish forces, along with allied rebel factions, currently control significant portions of northern Syria, including areas within Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).

Since 2016, Turkey has launched multiple military operations across the border, aiming primarily to counter the influence of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Ankara views the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the dominant force within the SDF, as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey has designated as a “terrorist” organization.

In a sign of potential reconciliation, Erdogan mentioned in July that he might extend an invitation to Assad to visit Turkey, indicating a thaw in relations.

Assad, in a later statement, expressed his willingness to meet with Erdogan, though he underscored that the content of any such meeting would be crucial, particularly with respect to Turkey’s military presence in Syria.

The Syrian conflict, now in its thirteenth year, has had devastating consequences, with over 500,000 people killed and millions more displaced.

Turkey, which shares a long border with Syria, currently hosts approximately 3.2 million Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations. The issue of Syrian refugees has become a contentious topic in Turkish politics, with some opposition figures promising to repatriate them if they come to power.

The Kurdish question remains a critical factor in the Syrian-Turkish relationship. In 2013, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is the political arm of the YPG, established three autonomous cantons in Syrian Kurdistan—Jazeera, Kobani, and Afrin. These regions later declared a federal region in 2016, seeking autonomy within Syria. However, Turkey has vehemently opposed the establishment of a Kurdish autonomous region on its border, fearing it could embolden Kurdish separatists within Turkey.

In January 2018, Turkey launched a military operation against the YPG in Afrin, resulting in the expulsion of Kurdish forces from the region by March of that year. The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, proclaimed in 2018, has since governed these areas, implementing a model of democratic confederalism.

The Kurdish forces, particularly the YPG, have been instrumental in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. With support from the United States, the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces successfully ousted IS from its last stronghold in Baghouz in March 2019. Despite these victories, the region remains volatile, with an estimated 12,000 suspected IS members still held in Kurdish-run prisons.

The conflict has taken a heavy toll on the Kurdish community, with over 11,000 fighters losing their lives in the battle to defeat the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate, which once spanned large areas of Syria and Iraq. As the situation continues to evolve, the future of Syrian-Turkish relations, as well as the status of the Kurdish regions, remains uncertain.

(With files from AFP, Agencies)