A senior Syrian ministerial delegation has visited Türkiye for meetings with their counterparts in Ankara in the latest demonstration of links between the two neighbours.
Syria’s new Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, Defence Minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, and intelligence chief, Anas Hattab, met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and others. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also received them.
Al-Shaibani is no stranger to Türkiye, having lived and studied at a university in Istanbul. Announcing his visit on social media, he said Türkiye “never abandoned the Syrian people over the last 14 years”.
The subject of their conversations remains confidential, but Fidan and al-Shaibani were upbeat in the joint press conference that followed, with Fidan reiterating Türkiye’s offer to help the new Syrian government on defence, security and intelligence sharing, including “operational support” in its fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.
For his part, al-Shaibani said Damascus would ensure that Türkiye was not threatened from Syrian territory, adding that north-east Syria would come under the control of the central government and that the Arab identity of the region would be restored.
Walking the talk
While the statements were encouraging, challenges remain. After half a century of al-Assad family rule, Damascus and its new rulers are working hard to promote the new Syria and garner support to rebuild the country.
Alongside Türkiye, the Syrian ministers have met various Arab and Western officials, including the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Italy, plus delegations from the United States and the European Union. Al-Shabani also visited Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, seeking to reassure Syria’s regional neighbours.
The history and ideology of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are of concern. Its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, once headed al-Nusra, a Salafist/jihadist organisation that fought al-Assad in the hope of establishing an Islamic state governed by Sharia law in Syria.
Both he and HTS—which led the campaign that removed al-Assad—have been at pains to distance themselves from their past associations, emphasising a new line of inclusivity and tolerance of minorities. For now, HTS is the dominant force in Syria’s new politics, yet the transitional leaders are unelected.
The priority is to establish a sustainable political system and a legitimate basis for governance. This will not be achieved overnight. It requires patience and time. Yet the rebuild is urgent, so time is not infinite. Delays may once more push Syria into crisis.
