Turkiye ready to provide military training to new Syria government if requested, Defence Minister says

Turkiye’s Defence Minister has revealed that his government is ready to provide the new Syrian government with military training if it requests it, emphasising that the new authorities in the war-torn country should be given a chance to express their governance.

Speaking to reporters in the capital, Ankara, Turkish Defence Minister, Yasar Guler, affirmed that the country “is ready to provide the necessary support if the new administration [in Syria] requests it”, pointing to the Turkish government’s current military cooperation and training agreements with many other countries.

Guler also touched on the Turkiye’s continued military presence in northern Syria, saying that the government may discuss and re-evaluate that matter with the new Syrian authorities “when necessary conditions arise”. For now, however, Ankara’s security focus in Syria remains on countering Kurdish militias in the region, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“In the new period, the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation in Syria will be eliminated sooner or later”, the Turkish Defence Minister said. “Members of the organisation coming from outside Syria will leave Syria. Those who are Syrian will lay down their weapons.”

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