Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received a high-level Turkish delegation in the capital Damascus on Monday, comprising Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalin. According to Turkey's Anadolu state news agency, citing a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shibani led the reception of the Turkish delegation at Damascus International Airport. Also present at the reception were Syrian Defense Minister Mervan Abu Qudra and Head of Intelligence Hussein Salamah. Following the airport reception ceremony, the Turkish delegation proceeded to the 'People's Palace' for a meeting with President Ahmed al-Sharaa. During a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Fidan stated that the talks focused on integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurds, into the new Syrian army, as well as Israeli military incursions in southern Syria and the fight against the 'Islamic State' (ISIS) terrorist organization, according to the Associated Press. Fidan added that 'the stability of Syria is of great importance to Turkey.' On March 10, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF leader Ferhad Abdi Shahin, known as Mazlum Abdi, signed an agreement to integrate civilian and military institutions in the country's northeast into state administration, but the organization has been delaying its implementation. al-Shibani stated, 'We have not seen any initiative or serious will from the Syrian Democratic Forces to implement this agreement; rather, there has been systematic stalling.' al-Shibani added, 'Damascus presented a proposal to the Syrian Democratic Forces to move forward with the military integration process and received a response yesterday, Sunday,' without providing further details. The visit of the Turkish delegation to Damascus is part of a comprehensive assessment of the course of Turkish-Syrian relations in their political, economic, and security dimensions, coinciding with the first anniversary of the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024. The Turkish delegation is expected to discuss in Damascus the follow-up on the implementation of the March 10 agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The visit is also expected to focus on security risks arising from Israeli attacks in southern Syria. The Turkish delegation will also discuss with the Syrian side, within the framework of common interests and Syria's recent accession to the international coalition to fight ISIS, ways of cooperation to prevent the resurgence of the 'Islamic State' terrorist organization and to prevent it from exploiting any vacuum that may arise on the Syrian scene.
