Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler linked the possibility of withdrawing Turkish forces from Syrian territory to the adoption of a new constitution in Syria and ensuring the security of the shared border between the two countries.
This statement was made in a written interview with Reuters in response to a question about the potential withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria. Güler stated, “We are ready to provide all possible support for the adoption of a comprehensive constitution, holding free elections, and creating an inclusive environment of normalization and security. Only when this is achieved, and when our border security is fully ensured, will we take all necessary steps within the framework of mutual coordination.”
Turkey, which has always maintained close relations with Damascus before the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011, sided with opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, the path toward normalizing relations between the two countries intensified this summer, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stating that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his colleagues are working on a plan to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus, including negotiations between the two countries’ leaders, possibly in a third country.
For its part, the Syrian Foreign Ministry responded by saying that the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkey should be based on returning to the situation that existed before 2011. Assad himself has expressed readiness to meet with his Turkish counterpart if it serves Syria’s national interests.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov expressed Russia’s readiness to organize a meeting between the Turkish and Syrian presidents in Moscow, but such a meeting requires serious preparation.
