ISTANBUL

On recent clashes in Syria between government forces and ousted Assad loyalists, the Turkish foreign minister said Sunday there has been an "effort to derail the Syrian government's weeks-long policy of not reacting to provocations."

Speaking in Amman, Jordan, Hakan Fidan also stressed the importance of Alawites, Christians, Druze, and Nusayris in Syria avoiding involvement in any provocations.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference during a summit of foreign ministers of Türkiye, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

The countries’ foreign and defense ministers, along with intelligence chiefs and military leaders, attended the meeting. They discussed cooperation on security, counterterrorism, and the fight against organized crime, as well as broader regional dynamics.

From Türkiye, Fidan, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin attended the meeting.

Fidan said they discussed issues related to Syria's stability, including counterterrorism and regional terrorist activities, adding: "We are, of course, committed to fully supporting the newly formed government in Syria and backing all of its efforts to stabilize the country."

He stressed that neither the regional countries nor Türkiye support any initiatives that would undermine Syria's stability, stressing that they have consistently advocated for the protection of civilians' lives, property, and cultural rights.

In recent days, Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus have seen coordinated attacks by loyalists of the former Assad regime. These attacks, described as the most severe since the regime’s fall in December, targeted security patrols, checkpoints, and hospitals, resulting in deaths and injuries.

In response, security and military forces launched sweeping operations to track down the attackers. The operations led to fierce clashes, as government officials assert that the situation is moving toward full stability.

Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.

Fidan said Syria and four of its neighbors had held a historic meeting on the resolution of some chronic regional issues.

"As regional countries, we must have the will and initiative to take ownership of and solve the region's problems together. Otherwise, regional issues turn into global problems, leading to the intervention of global actors," Fidan said.

"As a result of such intervention, we encounter more problems rather than solutions."

They evaluated concrete steps to be taken during today's discussions, Fidan said.

"As regional countries, we decided to establish a joint operation and intelligence mechanism, especially against Daesh (terror group ISIS). Our colleagues will work on finalizing the details of this," Fidan said.

Fidan said the countries taking part in the meeting reflected their common stance against Israel's expansionist policies in the region through the final declaration.

"The removal of the PKK, which is a common enemy for Iraq, Syria, and Türkiye, from the region and the end of its armed terrorist activities is among our priorities,” he said.

Fidan added that the five countries would work with all their efforts to combine their capabilities and completely eliminate ISIS in the region before it resurges.

He also announced that Türkiye will host the next meeting.

Fight against ISIS, clashes in Syria

After his speech, the Turkish foreign minister took questions from the press.

Citing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strong will to use all available resources and capabilities to eliminate the ISIS threat, Fidan emphasized Türkiye’s firm stance in the fight.

Fidan said that due to ISIS' ability to cause harm and operate in multiple countries simultaneously, a single country cannot tackle the group alone, as it may push the threat away but not completely eliminate it.

He stressed the importance of regional countries forming a strong platform against this threat.

Fidan also said the newly formed Syrian government’s conciliatory approach towards minorities and other sects has "left many regional and external actors, who were hoping for provocation and chaos in the region, disappointed."

"Given this situation, some steps were taken to provoke the situation. As a result, we now see a de-escalation in the events," he said.

Fidan emphasized the need to remain "vigilant" against provocations and said he had discussed this issue with his Syrian counterparts.

Fidan also said some propaganda on international platforms has negatively affected events in Syria and that efforts must be made to prevent the escalation of provocations.

Terrorist PKK is not just Türkiye's problem

Asked about Türkiye's stance on the terrorist group PKK, Fidan said: "Just as Daesh does not represent Arabs, the PKK does not represent Kurds. We must make this distinction very clearly."

Fidan said the PKK does not control even one square meter of land in Türkiye but its Syrian branch the PKK/YPG has occupied one-third of Syria, taken control of energy resources, and seized 700 villages in Iraq’s Kurdish region, as well as Sinjar.

"This is not just Türkiye's problem. It is also Iraq's, Syria's, and even Iran's, as there are armed groups there too."

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The PKK/YPG is the terror group’s Syrian branch.

He emphasized that there should be a common understanding not only in the fight against ISIS but also against the terrorist group PKK.

"We've solved the part that concerns us. But who will fight the PKK in Syria? Who will fight the PKK in Iraq? While armed groups roam in Iraq, who will bring in financing? Who will bring in investment? We are trying to support legitimate government forces," he said.

Türkiye is working in close cooperation with its Iraqi and Syrian counterparts on these issues, he said.