Riyadh, January 13, 2025 – The Europe Today: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan engaged in multiple high-level meetings on the sidelines of a crucial summit in Riyadh on Sunday, where discussions centered around the evolving situation in Syria.
Fidan met with several global counterparts, including UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and the newly appointed Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani. Additional talks were held with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, US Under Secretary of State John Bass, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, via X (formerly Twitter), shared details of these discussions but did not provide further specifics.
The meeting, attended by foreign ministers from countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Egypt, and others, was organized to discuss Syria’s future following the removal of Bashar al-Assad’s government. Fidan reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to supporting Syria in overcoming its difficult path forward, particularly through efforts to ensure the country’s territorial integrity.
A key part of the discussions was Syria’s new administration under Ahmed al Sharaa, which has called for the lifting of sanctions in order to recover from nearly 14 years of civil war. Fidan emphasized that if the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the YPG, a Syrian affiliate of the PKK terror group, is serious about reintegrating into Syria’s central government, it must announce its dissolution. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU, has caused the deaths of over 40,000 people in its ongoing terror campaign.
Fidan reiterated Turkiye’s support for strengthening the new Syrian government’s efforts to combat ISIS and reiterated the importance of regional countries leading efforts to ensure Syria’s future stability. He called for a coordination mechanism to better align the international community’s expectations with Syria’s needs and expressed support for exemptions to sanctions in the future.
The event will be followed by further international discussions, with representatives from Türkiye, the UK, and Germany, as well as deputy foreign ministers from the US and Italy, expected to participate.
