Syria, Turkey Sign Defense Cooperation Deal after Ankara Talks

Leaders

19 hours ago

The Syrian Defense Minister signed a memorandum of understanding with his Turkish Counterpart on military training and consultancy after talks in Ankara on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Over the last few months, both countries had been negotiating a comprehensive military cooperation agreement to help rebuild the Syria after the fall of Al-Assad's regime in December.
During the talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of obstructing the new government's efforts to rebuild Syria after over a decade of civil war.
He said Israel had 'fueled certain difficulties' in Syria and cautioned that Israeli security 'cannot be achieved by undermining the security of neighboring countries.' Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Syrian Counterpart Asaad Al-Shibani
'To the contrary, you should make sure your neighboring countries are prosperous and secure. If you try to destabilize these countries, if you take steps to that end, this could trigger other crises in the region,' Fidan added. Condemning SDF's Failure to Comply with the Deal
Earlier this month, a Turkish Defense Ministry source stated that Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have failed to comply with a deal signed with the new government earlier this year to integrate into Syria's state institutions.
The source also warned that the recent clashes between the Kurdish parties and government forces threaten the country's unity, according to Reuters.
'It has not escaped our attention that the SDF terrorist organization's voice has become louder, empowered by the clashes in Syria's south,' the source told reporters at a briefing in Ankara.
Turkey considers the US-backed SDF a terrorist organization and has repeatedly noted that it expects the group to abide by the deal to disarm and integrate into Syria's state institutions.
'The SDF terrorist organization's attacks in the outskirts of Manbij and Aleppo against the Syrian government in recent days damage Syria's political unity and territorial integrity,' the source added.
In March, Syria's President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Chief Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement to integrate the civil and military institutions of Kurds into the Syrian government.
However, the implementation of this deal was held up by differences between both parties.
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