Türkiye will do its part to ‘ease the difficult path ahead’ for Syrians: Foreign minister

ANKARA

Türkiye will do its part to "help ease the difficult path" ahead for the Syrian people, the country's foreign minister said on Sunday.

Hakan Fidan attended a meeting on Syria's future in the Saudi capital Riyadh, alongside foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X.

A new administration led by Ahmed al-Sharaa has taken charge in Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last month. It has urged the lifting of sanctions to recover from the nearly 14 years of civil war.

Fidan said if the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is genuine in its efforts to integrate with Syria's central government, it should announce its dissolution.

He stressed that preserving Syria's territorial integrity and unity must remain the "primary focus."

The SDF is led by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK terror group.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly.

Fidan reiterated that the terrorist group continues to pose a serious threat to the Arab majority in eastern Euphrates, Syria, and exploits natural resources most needed by the Syrian people.

“We can work together to strengthen the new government’s ability to effectively fight Daesh/ISIS. As Türkiye, we are ready to do our part to help ease the difficult path ahead for the Syrian people,” he added.

'Regional countries hold 'greatest responsibility' in Syria's future'

The Turkish foreign minister stressed that regional countries have the "greatest responsibility" in steering developments in Syria and reaffirmed that country's territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty remain the core principles guiding their efforts.

He said signs of normalization in Syria are growing stronger each day, adding: "In this critical period, we must act as a balancing force, carefully aligning the expectations of the international community with the realities faced by Syria's new government."

Fidan said efforts to support Syria could be made more effective by establishing a coordination mechanism or committees, and stressed the need to identify priority sectors to secure more exemptions from sanctions in the future.

The Arab ministerial meeting will be followed by an international meeting also featuring the top diplomats of Türkiye, the UK, and Germany. The US and Italy are expected to participate at the level of deputy foreign ministers.