Türkiye’s foreign minister has renewed calls for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to disarm and disband, during talks with Syrian officials in Damascus.
On Sunday, Hakan Fidan met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Interior Minister Anas Khattab in Damascus, where talks focused on security, political unity and bilateral ties between the two countries.
At a joint press conference with al-Shaibani, Fidan expressed Ankara’s hope that an earlier pledge by the SDF to disband and lay down its arms would soon be “translated into practice on the ground.”
Fidan’s remarks underscored Türkiye’s cautious optimism over the future of the group.
Ankara views the SDF’s main component, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has long been designated as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union.
The SDF, which became Washington’s principal partner in the fight against the Islamic State (Daesh) terrorist group in 2014, still maintains a significant presence in several parts of north-eastern Syria.
In recent months, the SDF’s weapons and military structure, as well as its control of key border crossings and oilfields, have remained central issues in the group’s ongoing negotiations with Damascus.
Syrian authorities want all armed factions, including the SDF, to be formally incorporated into the state military apparatus.
Türkiye, for its part, says any agreement must eliminate security threats along its southern border, including from armed groups operating independently.
Speaking in Damascus, Fidan also said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan plans to visit neighbouring Syria “in the near future.”
Although Fidan gave no further details, such a visit would mark a major step in the rapid rebuilding of bilateral ties since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024.
Türkiye backed Syria’s armed opposition during the country’s 13-year civil war, has hosted millions of Syrian refugees and deployed troops across parts of northern Syria.
Since Syria’s post-Assad political transition began, Ankara has supported the new leadership in Damascus, while stepping up cooperation on security, trade and reconstruction.
Despite the rapid improvement in relations between Ankara and Damascus, the SDF issue remains a potential source of instability.
Ankara has repeatedly called for the group’s disarmament, while leaders of Syria’s Kurdish communities have sought political and cultural protections within a unified Syrian state.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of a deadly drone strike on a Türkiye-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea, killing it...
Regional powers gathered in Moscow on Monday for talks on Afghanistan, focusing on security, economic cooperation and Kabul’s relations with ...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks in Tehran on Monday on bilateral ties and efforts t...
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
Regional powers gathered in Moscow on Monday for talks on Afghanistan, focusing on security, economic cooperation and Kabul’s relations with its neighbours.
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partnership and add to tensions between Tbilisi and its European partners.
The U.S. has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to the Gulf, protecting key energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as Washington expands its military presence in the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks in Tehran on Monday on bilateral ties and efforts to strengthen peace and security in the South Caucasus.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it has conveyed its initial position to the United States through Qatar over Washington’s response to Tehran’s seven-day plan aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment