Türkiye’s foreign minister meets with counterparts in Riyadh for Syria talks

RIYADH

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday met with his counterparts from around the globe on the sidelines of the Riyadh meeting that discussed the latest situation in Syria.

The country's Foreign Ministry said on X that Hakan Fidan met with the U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the foreign minister of the new administration in Syria, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani.

Fidan also met with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan, U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bass and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on the margins of the meeting.

No further information on the meetings was provided by the officials.

Foreign ministers from Arab and Western countries held a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday to discuss the situation in Syria following last month’s fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The meeting is attended by Türkiye, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Britain, and Germany. The United States and Italy are present at the level of deputy foreign minister.

The Riyadh meetings build on the outcomes of the Aqaba meetings held in Jordan on Dec. 14, 2024. These meetings emphasized support for the Syrian people and pledged to provide all possible assistance to ensure security and stability in the country.

Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's decades-long regime.

Türkiye will do its part to ‘ease the difficult path ahead’ for Syrians

Türkiye will do its part to "help ease the difficult path" ahead for the Syrian people, Fidan said on Sunday.

Fidan said if the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is genuine in its efforts to integrate with Syria's central government, it should announce its dissolution.

He stressed that preserving Syria's territorial integrity and unity must remain the "primary focus."

The SDF is led by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK terror group.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly.

Fidan reiterated that the terrorist group continues to pose a serious threat to the Arab majority in eastern Euphrates, Syria, and exploits natural resources most needed by the Syrian people.

“We can work together to strengthen the new government’s ability to effectively fight Daesh/ISIS. As Türkiye, we are ready to do our part to help ease the difficult path ahead for the Syrian people,” he added.

The Turkish foreign minister stressed that regional countries have the "greatest responsibility" in steering developments in Syria and reaffirmed that country's territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty remain the core principles guiding their efforts.

He said signs of normalization in Syria are growing stronger each day, adding: "In this critical period, we must act as a balancing force, carefully aligning the expectations of the international community with the realities faced by Syria's new government."

Fidan said efforts to support Syria could be made more effective by establishing a coordination mechanism or committees, and stressed the need to identify priority sectors to secure more exemptions from sanctions in the future.