Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated that Syria has affirmed to Tehran its full readiness to maintain border security with Türkiye from within its territory.
In an interview with Iranian newspaper “Al-Wafaq,” Amir-Abdollahian elaborated that his country had proposed, during joint meetings, that Ankara commit to withdrawing its forces from Syria in exchange for Damascus ensuring there would be no threat to Turkish territories.
The top diplomat mentioned that the proposal presented to Syria and Türkiye includes Russia and Iran serving as guarantors of the agreement, with Syria deploying its forces along the border with Türkiye.
While there has been no official comment from Damascus regarding the Iranian proposal, this development comes approximately two weeks after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow had put forward a similar proposal to both Damascus and Ankara.
The proposal aimed to establish an agreement that would legitimize the presence of Turkish forces on Syrian soil.
Lavrov made this statement during a meeting with students and faculty at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations earlier this month.
According to Lavrov, Moscow had offered Damascus and Ankara the opportunity to revisit an agreement allowing Turkish forces to combat “terrorists on Syrian territory,” but in cooperation with Damascus.
This proposal would be based on the 1998 Adana Agreement, which outlines cooperation between Ankara and Damascus in the fight against “terrorism” along their shared borders.
In exchange, Syria would cease its support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and facilitate the removal of its leader from Syrian territory.
Additionally, the proposal would grant Türkiye the authority to pursue “terrorist” organizations up to 5 kilometers inside Syrian territory.
There has been no official response from Ankara regarding the statements made by Amir-Abdollahian.
However, diplomatic sources closely involved in the matter have confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Türkiye will not alter its stance, which it has reiterated multiple times.
Türkiye maintains that it will not withdraw its forces from northern Syria until a political solution is achieved, stability is ensured, and the voluntary and safe return of refugees is guaranteed.
