The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have shown little willingness to make progress in talks on integration with the Syrian government army, the foreign minister of Türkiye has said.
“We see that the SDF has no real intention of making significant progress in the negotiations on integration with the Damascus administration,” Hakan Fidan told a joint press conference on Monday alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani in Damascus, Syria’s capital.
The SDF is dominated by the terrorist group YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.
He added that the group’s conduct has become a serious impediment to ongoing talks, accusing it of coordinating certain activities with Israel.
“The fact that the SDF carries out some of its activities in coordination with Israel currently represents a major obstacle in the discussions being held with Damascus,” he said.
Growing ties
The remarks came as Fidan, Turkish National Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin are on a working visit to Damascus, according to Foreign Ministry sources.
The delegation was expected to meet Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa and other top Syrian officials to comprehensively assess the course of Turkish–Syrian relations over the past year following the overthrow of the Bashar Assad regime.
The talks were also expected to focus on the implementation of the agreement reached on March 10, which is closely tied to Türkiye’s national security priorities, as well as emerging security risks in southern Syria stemming from Israel’s actions.
The Syrian government has been intensifying security efforts since last year’s ouster of Assad after 24 years in power.
