Fidan in Damascus: SDF dissolution must move from paper to practice

Rastinews — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart, Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, in Damascus. The two held a joint press conference after the talks.

"The declaration matters, but it must be implemented"

At the press conference, Fidan welcomed the Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) declaration that it would dissolve itself and integrate into Syrian state institutions. "We consider the SDF's declaration on dissolving itself and integrating into Syrian state institutions valuable," Fidan said. "This is an important step, an important initiative, and a constructive response to the constructive work being carried out by the Syrian government. We expect it to translate into practice and reach a conclusion without delay. The declaration stage matters, but it also needs to be put into effect."

According to Anadolu Agency, Syria's Foreign Minister Shaibani said Damascus was moving forward with "determined steps toward building a single national army, bringing weapons under the control of legitimate institutions, and reintegrating the northeast into national unity through a process that belongs entirely to Syria."

Erdoğan's Syria visit on the agenda

Fidan also addressed a planned visit to Syria by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "Our president is planning a visit to Syria in the near future. They have wanted this visit for a very long time. We are working to create the right conditions," Fidan said. "During this trip of mine, I reviewed the work the High Planning Group could carry out ahead of his visit. In that sense, our visit is significant as well."

Fidan takes aim at Israel

Fidan also addressed Israeli strikes in Syria. "There is an actor working to destabilize Syria, and you know its name: Israel," he said. "The policies Israel is pursuing pose the most serious obstacle to the positive course of events. The strike on Abu Zuhur military airbase is one of the latest examples of this."

Fidan argued that Israel was systematically targeting Syria's military capacity, indirectly benefiting terrorist organizations such as ISIS, and said Turkey was closely following developments in southern Syria in that light. "Steps taken to destabilize Syria will affect not only Syria but the entire region, and even beyond," he warned, saying the international community and regional countries needed to work to persuade Israel to abandon this policy.

Syria's Foreign Minister Shaibani said Israeli strikes on Syrian territory and institutions had not affected relations with Turkey, adding that the two countries' relations were going through "their best period" and were "built on solid foundations."