Turkey

What Next?

So many Syrians and Lebanese are celebrating the downfall of the Assad regime, whose last decade of rule came courtesy of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. The proximate cause of the final collapse is debatable; some attribute it to the inability of Russia to come to Assad's defense, while others cite Israel's decimation of Assad's Hezbollah ...

Germany Says Turkey Must not Wage War on Syria's Kurdish Groups

Germany on Monday warned Turkey against stepping up military action against Kurdish armed groups in the north of Syria, two weeks after Islamist-led rebels toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday it was time to destroy "terrorist" groups that posed a threat to Syria's survival, namely the ...

Turkish FM Calls For Removal of Sanctions Imposed on Syria

International sanctions on Damascus must be lifted "as soon as possible" to allow Syria to get back on its feet and refugees to return home, Turkey's top diplomat said Sunday. "The sanctions imposed on the previous regime need to be lifted as soon as possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on a visit to ...

Erdogan Says Time to 'Eradicate' IS, Kurdish Fighters in Syria

Turkish president Recep Tayyib Erdogan said Friday it was time to destroy "terrorist" groups that posed a threat to Syria's survival, in reference to Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish fighters. "Daesh, the PKK and their affiliates -- which threaten the survival of Syria -- must be eradicated," he told journalists while returning from a ...

Turkey, Iran Leaders at Muslim Summit in Cairo

The leaders of Turkey and Iran called on Thursday for unity in Syria at a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries after the ouster of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad. Turkey historically backed Assad's opponents, while Iran supported his rule. The gathering of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the ...

Thousands Protest in Northeast Syria in Support of Kurdish-Led Force

Thousands of people demonstrated Thursday in northeast Syria in support of a US-backed, Kurdish-led force that for weeks has been pushing back against Turkey-backed fighters, an AFP correspondent said. The show of support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) comes after Islamist-led rebels toppled Syria's longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad ...

Mikati Calls for Action to Serve the Public Good at the D-8 Summit in Cairo

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati took part in the opening session of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) in Cairo on Thursday. In his speech at the opening session, Mikati stressed the need for D-8 member states to “focus on action” in order to work for “the public good.” Mikati arrived in Egypt on Thursday for an official ...

Syria: Turkey Promises to Press On, Demands Kurdish Fighters Disarm

Ankara will push ahead with its military preparations until Kurdish fighters "disarm", a defense ministry source said Thursday, stressing Turkey faces an ongoing threat along its border with northern Syria. The comments came as concerns grew over a possible Turkish assault on the Kurdish-held Syrian border town of Kobane, also known as Ain ...

SOHR Says 21 Pro-Turkey Fighters Killed Near Flashpoint Northern Town

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor said 21 pro-Turkey fighters were killed Wednesday after they attacked a Kurdish-held position near a flashpoint northern town despite a US-brokered ceasefire extension in the area. The persistent fighting between Turkish-backed factions and US-backed Kurdish-led forces comes more than a ...

Erdogan Praises France’s Diplomatic Reengagement in Post-Assad Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed France's decision to send diplomats to Damascus after the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in a phone call with President Emmanuel Macron, the presidency said Wednesday. A French delegation arrived Tuesday at the country's embassy in Damascus, the first visit of diplomats from France since ...

Assad's Fall Opens Path for US Strikes on ISIS

Bashar al-Assad's overthrow has cleared the way for US strikes against the Islamic State group in areas previously shielded by Syrian and Russian air defenses – but the jihadists may also try to exploit the vacuum left by his fall. The militant group,often referred to as ISIS or IS, rose out of the chaos of the Syrian civil war to seize swathes ...

All (Diplomatic) Roads Lead to Damascus…

This influx appears oddly under the auspices of all the imaginable paradoxes that Syria embodies: international sanctions, foreign interferences (Turkish interventions, Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, etc.), and not least, the fact that talks are being held with the ruling coalition of rebels now in power, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham ...