ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said US President Donald Trump should be convinced to withdraw American troops from Syria, adding that it would be cost-effective for Washington.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Trump had a “highly positive” call, showing Trump's respect for Erdogan, which was clearly demonstrated during conversation, Fidan said during an iftar event with journalists in Ankara.

Stating that maintaining the presence of US troops in Syria is not among Trump's priorities, Fidan said that the PKK's presence in Syria is tried to be legitimized via the issue of ISIS (Daesh) prisons.

Emphasizing that measures have been taken on this matter, Fidan urged the regional countries to fight against ISIS.

He said that concrete decisions were taken during a meeting held in Amman with Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

"At the same time, the presence of the US military in Syria comes with a cost. The American public has started questioning the benefits of maintaining US troops in Syria. Previously, factors such as Iran, Russia, and the Assad regime played a role in Syria, but the current circumstances have changed,” he further said.

Fidan said that President Erdogan underlined Türkiye’s expectations on the fight against terrorism and the importance of lifting restrictions on defense and industry cooperation during the call with Trump, reiterating the significance of peace in Ukraine.

“President Trump’s approach was quite positive, and he, along with our president, wants to resolve issues between the two countries. We are working with our counterparts to achieve this,” he further said.

Addressing President Erdogan’s potential visit to the US, Fidan stated that he would conduct preparatory work at the level of foreign ministers before Erdogan’s possible visit.

“Our president sees a visit to the US positively, but we have not yet set a definite date,” he added.

On the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Fidan mentioned that comprehensive discussions had taken place with the Biden administration on lifting the sanctions.

“We will examine these issues in detail with the new administration as well. Of course, there are technical aspects to discuss,” he further said.

Ankara is cautious about the agreement signed by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Ferhat Abdi Sahin, said Fidan, adding that the country will closely monitor the process in the short term.

The rights denied to Syria's Kurds under the ousted Assad regime must be granted, including citizenship, cultural, and political rights, ensuring equality, Fidan added.

Five countries met in Jordan to establish a center for joint operations and intelligence against ISIS (Daesh), with the technical teams currently working on its setup, he announced.

Stating that Türkiye’s work in this regard is nearing completion, Fidan announced that he would meet with delegations from other countries to establish a joint mechanism.

“Each country will share its intelligence data and act collectively to eliminate threats posed by ISIS (Daesh),” he further said.

Operations will be conducted, and information will be shared, the minister said.

Fidan said that the countries Türkiye is cooperating with share a border with Syria and underlined the importance of such efforts in ensuring Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Al-Hol Camp

Fidan highlighted that Al-Hol Camp is one of the most extensively worked-on issues and is "one of the closest to a solution,” noting that the camp has a population of around 40,000 people.

He stated that both Iraqis and Syrians have shown strong determination to take back their citizens but noted that exits from the camp were slow when it was under the control of the PKK/YPG.

"Now, both Iraqis and Syrians can take back their citizens. However, a different formula is needed for those who remain in prison. They need to stay in detention, and we will continue our efforts on that matter,” he further said.

Türkiye can contribute to the peacekeeping force in Ukraine “if parties agree to establish” it to settle the Russia-Ukraine war in a future phase, he further said.

Visa liberalization with Europe is vital to resolve visa issues, as the current system cannot meet Türkiye’s growing demand while restrictions remain, the minister added.

-YPG and Türkiye’s concerns

Fidan stated that the most significant topic during his visit to Damascus was the “YPG issue,” noting that he addressed Türkiye’s priorities and concerns on the issue and the Syrian administration also shared Türkiye’s perspective.

“As it stands, the YPG is an inseparable part of the PKK. There is no need to even debate this,” he said.

Stressing that the group's military capabilities are a key issue for Türkiye, he added: “Certain conditions must be met to achieve this. The first is command and control. The existing elements must dissolve themselves and come under the full control of the central government.”

Allowing them to possess critical military capabilities such as weapons, missile production, and air defense systems is absolutely unacceptable, he said.

Fidan said that there is no place for the foreign fighters joining the YPG, urging the existing elements to dissolve, “lay down their arms, and come under the full control of the central government.”

“The central government must have full command and control,” he further said.

On the return of displaced Syrians, Fidan said: “In an environment where security is ensured, armed groups will no longer have a place to operate.”

Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to Syria’s unity and territorial integrity at every platform.

“The dissolution of armed groups and their integration into the central government will positively impact national unity. Likewise, as concrete steps are taken to transfer YPG's entire authority to the central government, we believe Syria’s unity and integrity will be strengthened,” he added.

Genocide in Gaza

Pointing out that Israel has been occupying southern Syria for nearly 50 years and is trying to expand this occupation, Fidan said that Israel seeks to declare a demilitarized zone by using excuses such as the situation of the Yezidi and Druze communities.

Fidan underlined the importance of raising this issue on various platforms and firmly rejecting Israel's expansionism.

"On the five-party platform in Amman, on the OIC platform, and on the Arab League platform, Israel's expansionism is rejected,” he said.

He urged Syria to focus on how to remove Israel from the Syrian territory and manage the process in cooperation with the international community.

On Israel's recent attacks on Gaza, Fidan said: "We’ve been saying for a long time that Netanyahu has the intention to break the ceasefire. All signs pointed to this. By killing 500 people, he officially broke the ceasefire, and it seems that the bombing will continue."

Fidan also announced that a meeting will take place in Cairo on March 23 on Gaza to address the steps to implement the Gaza plan adopted at the OIC meeting.

“We will do everything we can to stop the genocide,” he vowed.

"(Israel) may seem to achieve a tactical success by killing hundreds of thousands of people, but it opens the door to much more serious risks. That means the risk of regional conflicts and fractures will also emerge,” he further said.

Cyprus issue

About the meeting on Cyprus held in Geneva on March 17-18 under the patronage of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Fidan said that Turkish President Erdogan accepted the proposal for this informal meeting to show the country’s constructive attitude on the issue.

"We have been advocating for this issue for years. There is a reality on the island where the two communities live separately with their own institutions. The fact that one of them is recognized as a state and has access to all resources, while the other is not, is the root cause of the injustice on the island.

“This injustice must be corrected. In the past, we trusted the international system's arbitration and accepted the UN solution drafts, but the Greeks did not agree. Today, the situation on the ground has changed, and this situation must be reflected in political solutions,” he added.

Russia-Ukraine war

"Peace treaty and ceasefire agreement" are the two main topics on the agenda regarding Russia and Ukraine, the minister said, adding: "Efforts for a full ceasefire are ongoing.”

He underlined that Türkiye, with President Erdogan's support, wants to contribute to a deal both sides agree upon.

"What is important for us is an agreement both sides can agree on. We are ready to do our part in this regard. However, most of the discussions you see right now are related to security guarantees,” he added.

European security architecture

Stressing that until three months ago, the EU did not want to see Türkiye "too much" in the mechanisms it developed, he stated: “It was a mechanism exclusive to EU members. We have always proposed a cooperation environment and mechanism within NATO where not only the EU as a bloc but all NATO countries have common threat definitions and their interests are safeguarded."

Fidan highlighted that if the US continues its relationship with Europe and NATO at the same level, Europe will shape its security structure accordingly.

However, if the US is not fully involved, a new path will be followed, he said.

“Europeans no longer want to be fully dependent on the US security umbrella. They do not believe in its sustainability,” Fidan added.

He also said that the process of how closely Türkiye will work, how much collaboration is desired, what roles will be played, and what Ankara can propose and contribute to the discussion is very dynamic.

Emphasizing that the ideal situation for EU members is to manage these issues in a more holistic manner, integrating their economy, politics, and security, Fidan added: “The EU’s concerns on this matter still remain."

Fidan said that there have been some claims by Europeans on the abuse of visa rights, and added: "At this point, we need to move forward with visa liberalization with Europe."

He underlined that if this happens, issues related to visa processes will be resolved.

"As long as the visa regime continues, it will be impossible to respond to Türkiye's increasing demand through the visa mechanism,” Fidan added.

Fidan highlighted that the solution is visa liberalization and stressed the need to implement this as the economy improves.