Winds of change between Ankara and Damascus

Long-standing talks between Turkey and Syria at the intelligence level have taken a step forward with the defence ministers’ meeting in Moscow. Turkish and Syrian officials announced through official channels that the meeting was held in a “constructive atmosphere.”

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas met in Moscow under the mediation of Russia. The two countries’ intelligence chiefs also participated in the talks.

“Today in Moscow, the capital of Russia, with the participation of the Russian side, a meeting took place between the Syrian Defence Minister and the Syrian Intelligence Chief and the Turkish Defence Minister and the President of the National Intelligence Organization. Several issues were discussed by the parties. The meeting was positive.” announced the Syrian Defence Minister.

Regarding the trilateral meeting between Turkey, Russia and Syria, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said: “At the meeting, we discussed what we could do to improve the situation in Syria and the region as soon as possible while ensuring peace, tranquility and stability.”

Mehmet Samsar (left) Turkish Ambassador of Moskow, Hulusi Akar (middle) Turkish Minister of Defence, Hakan Fidan (right) Chief of Turkish Intelligence Service -MIT / Anadolu Agency – Moskow

Speaking after the nearly two-hour meeting, Minister Akar said: “We reiterated our respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty rights of all our neighbors, especially Syria and Iraq, and that our sole aim is the fight against terrorism, we have no other purpose.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, “I can say that it was useful meeting. We believe that contacts with the regime are important to achieve a lasting peace and stability. We think this engagement is important in terms of reconciliation between the Syrian regime and the opposition on a roadmap for a political solution. The Syrian regime also wants Syrians to return to their country. It is important to ensure that the Syrians return to their country safe and sound.”

Russia has been working diplomatically for a long time to bring the two countries together. The other actor in Syria, the United States, does not approve of the rapprochement agenda. Ciner Media Group U.S. Representative Ali Çınar asked the U.S. State Department about the normalization agenda with Syria last week. The ministry replied, “The United States has no plans to upgrade diplomatic relations with the Assad regime and does not encourage others to do so.”

On the Syrian side, it is possible to feel the winds of change after a long break. On December 29, photos of Turkish, Syrian, and Russian defence ministers appeared in the headline of Al-Watan, government-aligned newspaper. The headline of the newspaper was: “Defence Ministers of Syria, Russia and Turkey met in Moscow. ‘Positive’ Atmosphere”

Syrian security sources also told Al-Watan newspaper that “this meeting would not have taken place if the talks between the intelligence officials of the past period had not gone as requested by Damascus.”

Syria has similar views with Turkey on the presence of the SDF and the U.S., but the Damascus administration wants clear guarantees about the withdrawal of the TAF, Harici cited a source, from Syria, who is close to the Syrian intelligence mechanism.

We asked journalist Sarkis Kassarjian, who lives in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to comment on the issue. Kassarjian also thinks the Assad administration wants “firm promises” from Turkey. Reminding that Syrian authorities see Turkey’s request to withdraw from Syria as a “must-have”, Kassarjian notes that this attitude is related to tenet and sovereignty for Damascus.

So, how do the “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDGs), which aim to establish an autonomous government with U.S. support, approach the issue? “The meeting of the defense ministers in Moscow aims to preserve the Turkish-Russian interests, not the Syrian, and to support Erdoğan and his party in the upcoming elections.” tweeted Senior Kurdish official Bedran Ciya Kurd, “Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria”, Department of Foreign Relations Co-President.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are having its worst days and are listening to the worst news from Moscow, Damascus and Ankara,” said Syrian journalist Gassan Yusuf in a social media post.

Kassarjian, evaluating the possible outcome of Ankara-Damascus rapprochement on Syrian territory, said “These talks will disturb the expected normalization of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG).” Pointing out that the SDG has lost ground, Kassarjian said, “In fact, the SDG has filled the gap created as a result of this problem that emerged between Turkey and Syria. That’s how it manifested himself. The SDG’s strongest asset is its fight against ISIS. The reason why ISIS is active in those regions is that Turkey does not actually close the borders and the Syrian army is not on the border zone. A possible normalization would mean changing the conditions in which the SDG manifests itself. For this, SDG will feel uneasy.”