President Trump should be convinced to withdraw military from Syria: Turkish foreign minister

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said US President Donald Trump should be convinced to withdraw American troops from Syria, adding that it would be cost-effective for Washington, Anadolu reports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Trump had a “highly positive” call, showing Trump’s respect for Erdogan, which was clearly demonstrated during conversation, Fidan said during an iftar event with journalists in Ankara.

Stating that maintaining the presence of US troops in Syria is not among Trump’s priorities, Fidan said that the PKK’s presence in Syria is tried to be legitimized via the issue of ISIS (Daesh) prisons.

Emphasizing that measures have been taken on this matter, Fidan urged the regional countries to fight against ISIS.

He said that concrete decisions were taken during a meeting held in Amman with Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

“At the same time, the presence of the US military in Syria comes with a cost. The American public has started questioning the benefits of maintaining US troops in Syria. Previously, factors such as Iran, Russia, and the Assad regime played a role in Syria, but the current circumstances have changed,” he further said.

Fidan said that President Erdogan underlined Türkiye’s expectations on the fight against terrorism and the importance of lifting restrictions on defense and industry cooperation during the call with Trump, reiterating the significance of peace in Ukraine.

“President Trump’s approach was quite positive, and he, along with our president, wants to resolve issues between the two countries. We are working with our counterparts to achieve this,” he further said.

Addressing President Erdogan’s potential visit to the US, Fidan stated that he would conduct preparatory work at the level of foreign ministers before Erdogan’s possible visit.

“Our president sees a visit to the US positively, but we have not yet set a definite date,” he added.

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On the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Fidan mentioned that comprehensive discussions had taken place with the Biden administration on lifting the sanctions.

“We will examine these issues in detail with the new administration as well. Of course, there are technical aspects to discuss,” he further said.

Ankara is cautious about the agreement signed by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Ferhat Abdi Sahin, said Fidan, adding that the country will closely monitor the process in the short term.

The rights denied to Syria’s Kurds under the ousted Assad regime must be granted, including citizenship, cultural, and political rights, ensuring equality, Fidan added.

Five countries met in Jordan to establish a center for joint operations and intelligence against ISIS (Daesh), with the technical teams currently working on its setup, he announced.

Stating that Türkiye’s work in this regard is nearing completion, Fidan announced that he would meet with delegations from other countries to establish a joint mechanism.

“Each country will share its intelligence data and act collectively to eliminate threats posed by ISIS (Daesh),” he further said.

Operations will be conducted, and information will be shared, the minister said.

Fidan said that the countries Türkiye is cooperating with share a border with Syria and underlined the importance of such efforts in ensuring Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.