Syria’s former ambassador to Türkiye believes there are positive signs regarding the recent normalization efforts between Ankara and Damascus, including a possible one-on-one between their top diplomats.
Syrian President Bashar Assad’s saying that the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria was not a precondition for talks with Ankara is a response to recent remarks from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to Nidal Kabalan, who spoke to BBC Türkçe in a phone interview.
Erdoğan in July said Türkiye would formally invite Assad, who was once a close friend.
Kabalan, who was in the Ankara mission when Turkish-Syrian relations soured over unrest that began in Syria in 2011, said Assad’s remark corresponds to Erdoğan’s willingness to normalize relations and the messages from Russian and Iraqi mediators that the Turkish president is serious about the issue.
“Assad wants the troops’ withdrawal to be a result of negotiations and not a precondition,” Kabalan told BBC Türkçe.
YPG problem
Türkiye severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported the opposition. Ankara then deployed troops in Syria’s north to assist the Syrian opposition forces and to stave off the PKK/YPG terrorists.
YPG is the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist group, which has killed thousands in Türkiye since the 1980s. It exploited the power vacuum during civil unrest to occupy swathes of land and create a self-styled entity in northeastern Syria. The terrorist group has also found a major ally in the U.S. against Daesh.
Ankara says having the PKK/YPG immediately across its border is a grave concern both for Turkish border towns that suffered from PKK/YPG attacks in the past and for wider Türkiye. Authorities have captured several terrorists infiltrating Syria in recent years, including a woman who planted explosives that killed six people on a busy Istanbul street two years ago.
Damascus opposes the presence of Turkish troops, saying it violates its sovereignty.
Attempts to reconcile the neighbors by Moscow and Tehran in recent years have failed, and the last talks fell apart in May 2023, but Ankara has been eager to resume the process this summer.
Kabalan said Russia has told PKK/YPG and other separatist groups in the region to “make up their minds and find a way to communicate with the Syrian government.”
Diplomatic sources recently told broadcaster TRT Haber that Türkiye has four conditions to return relations to pre-2011 levels, the most important of which is eradicating terrorism while maintaining the country’s territorial integrity and unity.
Kabalan believes the first step Damascus expects from Ankara, however, is a commitment to withdraw its troops.
The Defense Ministry on Thursday said troops were necessary to stop Syria from “falling under the sway of terrorist groups” and prevent the formation of a terror corridor.
Kabalan also criticized the PKK/YPG, saying its “dream of a separatist formation” was “not up for debate.”
“There is no room for any armed group in Syria other than the army,” he said, adding that he believes Syria is “ready to work hand in hand with Türkiye to eliminate any security concerns along its borders, as long as it does not endanger its sovereignty, stability and security.”
He argued Assad’s priorities have changed to regaining control of all regions of Syria and rebuilding severely damaged infrastructure.
“Therefore Syrian security officials are very clear no part of Syria will be given to any ethnicity, including Kurds,” Kabalan said.
Fidan factor
The former envoy also believes the most challenging issue in bilateral normalization yet is the return of some 4 million Syrian refugees in Türkiye.
He said Assad could soon issue a comprehensive amnesty to anyone who fled the country during the height of the crisis and feared sanctions upon return.
Kabalan expects Foreign Ministers Hakan Fidan and Faisal Mikdad, both of whom he knows in person, to hold talks in the next stage.
When he was helming the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Fidan was a close observer and active actor in the earlier stages of Turkish-Syrian disagreement.
“I think Fidan is the man for the job,” Kabalan said. “He knows what’s needed for the progress.”
