For the role that the Turkey to Syria And the future of the two countries’ strategic cooperation in the areas of defense and security, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler spoke to Reuters today (04.06.2025).
He even mentioned inTurkey’s contacts with Israel for the decline in tensions so that Syria does not become the reason for a new bloody conflict in the Middle East.
Turkey trains and provides advice to the Syrian armed forces and helps them improve the country’s defense, and has no immediate plans to leave or relocate its troops that are parked there, Yasar Guler said.
Turkey has emerged as an ally key to the new Syrian government after Syrian rebels, including some supported by Ankara, They overturned President Bashar al -Assad in December 2024, putting an end to five decades of governing the country by his family.
Ankara is committed to helping to rebuild Syria and return home to millions of Syrian refugees. Moreover, last month it played an important role in removing the sanctions imposed by the EU and the US on Syria.
Turkey – Israeli contacts
The newly acquired Turkish influence in Damascus has caused concern in Israel And it is in danger of leading to a confrontation – or worse – between the regional forces.
In his written answers to Reuters, Guiller said that Turkey and Israelwhich launched a new series of air attacks on targets in southern Syria yesterday night (03.06.2025). They continue their talks to avoid a military accident in the country.
Turkey’s top priority in Syria is Maintaining its territorial integrity and unity and the deletion her terrorism, Guiller stressed, while adding that Ankara supports Damascus in these efforts.
“We have begun to provide military training and advisory services, while we are taking measures to increase Syria’s defense capacity,” the Turkish minister explained without any further clarification.
“Our army does not leave Syria”
Guler noted that it was too early to discuss a possible departure or move of most than 20,000 Turkish troops in Syria.
OR Ankara controls large areas in northern Syria and has created dozens of military bases thereafter a series of cross -border businesses he has done in recent years against Kurdish fighters he considers to be terrorists.
This can only be reviewed when Syria achieves peace and stability, when the terrorist threat in the region is completely eliminated, when fully secured the security of our borders and when the dignified return of those who were forced to leave is completed, “Guiller underlined.
Turkey, a member of NATO, has accused Israel of undermining Syrian peace and rebuilding with its military operations there in recent months, and since 2023 has been criticizing Israeli military operations against the Gaza Strip.
However, the two regional forces work discreetly to create a mechanism for avoiding conflict in Syria.
Guler described these conversations as “technical meetings aimed at creating conflict avoidance mechanism in order to prevent unwanted events” or an immediate conflict.
“However, we must not forget that the mechanism for avoiding conflict is not a normalization,” Guiller concluded.