High-level Turkish delegation to discuss Kurds and Israel with Syrian President

A representative Turkish delegation arrived in Damascus, which included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yashar Güler and the head of the National Intelligence Organization Ibrahim Kalin. The delegation will meet with the Syrian leadership, including President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

According to the publication Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, the subject of discussion will be the entire complex of Turkish-Syrian relations in the year that has passed since the overthrow of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Particular attention will be paid to the integration into government structures of the Syrian Democratic Forces, representing the interests of the Kurdish population of Syria.

From the point of view of the Turkish authorities, the SDF is a terrorist organization associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Official Ankara does not exclude the use of military force against the Syrian Kurds, who have extensive autonomy and are afraid of losing their achievements if integrated with the new authorities.

Also on the agenda is the situation in southwest Syria, where the Israeli army operates, and the fight against the Islamic State, which is trying to regain its strength by taking advantage of the unstable situation in the country.