ANKARA: Turkey and Syria issued a joint warning to Israel over its military activities in Syrian territory during high-level diplomatic talks on Wednesday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated “certain actors are bothered by the positive developments in Syria” while standing alongside Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani.
“Israel is currently one of the biggest actors in this dark picture,“ Fidan added, referencing ongoing Israeli military operations following the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
Shaibani echoed these concerns by highlighting “repeated Israeli threats… through airstrikes” as destabilising factors for Syria’s recovery.
Fidan identified multiple conflict zones including Latakia, Sweida and Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria as evidence of external interference.
“The events in Latakia and Sweida and the failure to integrate the YPG (into the Syrian state) are evidence of the challenges and obstacles facing the positive process under way,“ he explained.
Shaibani accused foreign powers of fuelling sectarian divisions without naming specific countries.
“We are also confronting multiple foreign interventions, both direct and indirect… (that) push the country toward sectarian and regional strife,“ the Syrian minister warned.
Fidan expressed particular concern about the Kurdish YPG militia’s refusal to disband despite a March integration agreement with Damascus.
“In an environment where Turkey’s security demands remain unmet, we have no chance of remaining calm,“ the Turkish minister stated regarding the YPG’s foreign fighter presence.
The diplomatic meeting marked rare cooperation between Turkey and Syria after years of strained relations during Syria’s civil war. – AFP