Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that December 8 marks a new chapter for the Syrian people, stressing that an administration capable of assuming responsibility for the country's own societal challenges would be a significant step forward for both the region and the wider international community.
Fidan delivered the opening remarks at the conference titled Syria After One Year: Recovery and Reconstruction held at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) on Wednesday.
Fidan emphasised that December 8 is a new day, a new hope, and a new beginning for the Syrian people, but that this date does not bring solutions to all problems; rather, it marks the launch of a new story of growth and life.
‘Unifying armed groups under a single army is crucial’
Drawing attention to the political challenges in Syria, Fidan said bringing all armed groups under a single army is crucial for ensuring national unity and maintaining external support.
“We now see that all groups that took part in the resistance against the Assad regime have aligned themselves with the new administration and unified under the newly established national army. This is a very positive beginning,” he said.
Noting that the presence of multiple armed groups makes it impossible to secure the economy, security, and essential public services, Fidan said: “In such circumstances, no one would come to invest in your country; on the contrary, people flee. That is why the unification of these armed groups and their acting in an orderly, coordinated manner is important.”
He said once the international community and regional actors accepted working with the new system, “the expectations of those waiting for chaos inside the country were somewhat dampened, but after a while, we saw the mechanisms of chaos-making being activated again,” referring to the problems in Latakia.
Emphasising that Syria must treat all parties equally to protect the rights of its own citizens, he said: “We observed a mature understanding on this issue, exactly the kind of approach we hoped for. But we also saw some minor initial shortcomings in implementation. Now we see that necessary corrections are being made.”
‘The YPG must understand that no country can have two armed forces’
“The YPG, which has expanded across a wide area under the pretext of fighting Daesh and now occupies territory as well as energy resources, is currently one of the unresolved issues regarding whether it will or will not reach an understanding with the new administration,” said Fidan.
Referring to the March 10 agreement, he pointed out that no concrete steps have been taken by the terrorist group thus far, and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani informed him at the Doha Forum that there has been little positive progress.
“Türkiye has always emphasised that this process must advance, that issues must be resolved peacefully, and that a new confrontation would benefit no one. Therefore, it is important that the process moves forward through dialogue. The YPG must understand that no country can have two armed forces. The armed units they hold must come under the command of the Syrian administration,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of a united Syria, he said: "This does not imply that a single group, sect, or ethnic identity will dominate others. That would simply be an updated version of the old regime using a different model. We oppose that as well."
‘Israel should not secure itself by creating insecurity for others’
Fidan criticised Israel’s expansionism and Netanyahu’s attempt to use the Gaza war to gain ground in the region, saying it posed a grave risk to stability. “Israel should not secure itself by causing insecurity for others. It must instead build cooperation in an environment where others are stable, safe, and prosperous."
He emphasised that progress requires Israel to abandon its rejection of a Palestinian state and to implement the agreed peace plan.
He said Türkiye, Syria, and the US are in close contact and noted positively that the US administration, under President Donald Trump, has shown willingness to give the new Syrian administration a chance for the sake of regional security and stability.
Expressing hope that Israel would not resist the proposals put forward by the US and Syria, Fidan said every country in the region deserves to live in prosperity, equality, freedom, and security.
He underlined that Türkiye would not tolerate Syria becoming a zone of chaos again, adding: "All the events in Iraq and Syria over the last 25-30 years have had an incredibly high cost for Türkiye. Therefore, we have learned important lessons from the events in Iraq regarding our Syria strategy, managing the chaos in Syria, and determining when and how to intervene within that chaos."
Fidan added that Türkiye would move forward with more systematic policies regarding Syria.
