Turkish Foreign Minister: Ankara and Washington Discussed Talks Between the SDF and Damascus

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that his country discussed with the United States the developments of the ongoing talks between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Transitional Government, noting that Ankara expects progress in these negotiations in the coming period.

Fidan explained, in an interview with Turkey’s Al-Khabar channel on Saturday evening, that there are “current negotiations and discussions, whether with the Americans or those we are conducting ourselves,” adding that Turkey is working on “directing all efforts toward reaching a specific and well-defined outcome.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister indicated that the discussions with Washington focused on “the plan to integrate the SDF into the government forces” as well as on “ending the Israeli threat to Syria,” as he put it.

He added that the talks between Damascus and the SDF “are of great importance,” noting that they had previously stopped due to “Israeli interventions in the south and some regional developments.”

Fidan affirmed that Ankara and Washington are currently focused on “ensuring that Israel does not pose a threat to Syria, and that Syria does not pose a threat to Israel,” stressing the need to respect Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.