Fidan: Syria’s Assad Not Ready to Normalize Ties with Türkiye

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, in Cairo on August 5, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, in Cairo on August 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Fidan: Syria’s Assad Not Ready to Normalize Ties with Türkiye

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, in Cairo on August 5, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, in Cairo on August 5, 2024. (AFP)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that the Syrian government was not ready to reach an agreement and end the conflict with the Syrian opposition or normalize ties with Türkiye.

Türkiye wants the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad to establish a political framework with the opposition that they can agree on in an arena without conflict, he added.

It is important for the government to provide a secure and stable environment for its people, alongside the opposition, he stressed according to the Hürriyet daily.

"Real dialogue must take place with the Syrian opposition and we want Assad to reach an agreement with his opponents,” urged the FM.

“As far as we know, however, Assad and his partners are not ready to resolve some of the problems and are not ready to reach an agreement and normalize ties with the opposition,” he remarked.



Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa said that his administration would not allow for arms outside the control of the state.

An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, had been named as defense minister in the interim government.
Sharaa did not mention the appointment of a new defense minister on Sunday.
Sharaa discussed the form military institutions would take during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA said.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Jumblatt expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.”

“Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative,” al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. “Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon," he added.