Turkey will provide weapons, training, and logistics to Syria’s interim government amid growing regional tensions and instability
Turkey will provide weapons, training, and logistics to Syria’s interim government amid growing regional tensions and instability
Turkey has signed a new defence cooperation agreement with Syria’s interim government, pledging to provide weapons, military equipment, and logistical support, Turkish Defence Ministry officials announced Thursday.
The pact, formalised during a meeting between Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Syrian counterpart Murhaf Abu Qasra, marks a significant deepening of Ankara’s involvement in post-war Syria. The agreement includes provisions for military training, consultancy, and sharing of operational expertise.
The move follows a request from Syria’s interim leadership formed after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December for Turkish assistance in strengthening its defence capabilities amid recent sectarian clashes and Israeli involvement.
Most recently, deadly violence erupted in Sweida province between Bedouin tribesmen, government forces, and Druze minority fighters, underscoring the country’s fragile security landscape.
Turkish officials emphasised that the support aims to help stabilise Syria and reinforce its rebuilding efforts after nearly 14 years of brutal civil war. Ankara has long backed rebel factions, many of whom now make up the core of the transitional government.
On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also warned both Israel and Kurdish-led forces to cease actions undermining Syria’s fragile stability. He specifically accused the US backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of delaying a planned integration into the national army under a deal signed in March.
Meanwhile, a recent multi-ethnic conference in the SDF-controlled city of Hassakeh called for a decentralised Syrian state and a new constitution recognising ethnic and religious pluralism. The Syrian government condemned the gathering, accusing some attendees of harboring separatist ambitions. It has since withdrawn from upcoming Paris talks with the SDF, for which no date had been finalised.
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