ISTANBUL 

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have shown no willingness to make progress in talks on integration with the government in Damascus, the foreign minister of neighboring Türkiye said Monday.

“We see that the SDF has no real intention of making significant progress in the negotiations on integration with the Damascus administration,” Hakan Fidan said at a joint news conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Damascus, Syria’s capital, after their meeting.

He added that the group’s conduct has become a serious impediment to ongoing talks, accusing it of coordinating certain activities with Israel.

“The fact that the SDF carries out some of its activities in coordination with Israel currently represents a major obstacle in the discussions being held with Damascus,” he said.

The foreign minister also said they held wide-ranging talks, primarily on bilateral relations, noting that they addressed regional security and threats to Syria’s stability.

The remarks came as Fidan, Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin are on a working visit to Damascus.

The delegation is expected to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other top Syrian officials to comprehensively assess the course of Turkish–Syrian relations over the past year following the overthrow of the Bashar Assad regime.

The talks were also expected to focus on the implementation of the agreement reached on March 10, which is closely tied to Türkiye’s national security priorities, as well as emerging security risks in southern Syria stemming from Israel’s actions.

Repeal of US Caesar Act to bolster ‘regional stability’

Stressing that Syria’s stability means Türkiye’s stability, Fidan said that this is an extremely important issue for Ankara.

He emphasized that major progress has been achieved in stability and security, and said that repealing the US Senate’s Caesar Act imposing sanctions on Syria is a major advantage, as it will enable investments to flow into the country.

Fidan pointed out that truly great progress has been made in the last year and that everyone who contributed to this should be thanked.

He added that the Washington administration, particularly US President Donald Trump, should also be thanked in this regard.

“The lifting of the Caesar Act will be a major contribution to regional stability. I believe our brothers and sisters in Syria will make the best possible use of this opportunity.”