ISTANBUL 

Ankara is close to resolving its dispute with Washington over US sanctions tied to Türkiye’s purchase of a Russian S-400 air defense system, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Saturday.

Fidan, on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, said discussions with the US are progressing and voiced optimism about the outcome, adding: “I believe we’ll soon find a way to remove that obstacle.”

The 2020 sanctions, enacted under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), have cast a shadow over relations between Washington and Ankara for almost five years.

Turning to the Mideast, Fidan said that allowing the US-backed Gaza cease-fire plan to stop short of its next step would mark a “huge failure” for the world and for Washington, pointing out that President Donald Trump has personally driven the effort.

He said Hamas could only disarm if a credible Palestinian civil administration and a properly vetted, well-trained police force were established, noting that the group is willing to transfer authority over the enclave.

"First of all, we need to see that the Palestinian committee of technical people are taking over the administration of Gaza, then we need to see that the police force is being formed to police Gaza – again, by the Palestinians, not Hamas," said Fidan.

Talks are ongoing to move forward with the next phase of the US-backed plan to end the two-year war in Gaza.

Fidan said the Gaza police would function with the backing of a planned international stabilization force. He added that Washington is pressing Israel on Türkiye’s request to join the mission, noting that Ankara is prepared to deploy troops if needed.

-There can be 'only one army' in Syria

On Syria, asked about agreement this March that envisioned integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into Syria’s state apparatus, Fidan said recent messages from the SDF indicated it had “no intention” of upholding the deal and was instead trying to work around it.

He emphasized unity in military authority, saying: “I think they (the SDF) should understand that the command and control should come from one place. There can be no two armies in any given country. So there can only be one army, one command structure … But in local administration, they can reach a different settlement and different understandings.”

Nearly a year after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Fidan said some questions around minority rights remained unsettled, stressing that Türkiye’s support for the new Syrian leadership is not a "blank cheque" for any form of repression.

He noted that Damascus is making moves toward national cohesion, but argued that Israeli "destabilization policies" continue to be the main hurdle.

Israel has carried out repeated strikes in southwestern Syria this year, claiming they were aimed at militant threats and intended to safeguard the Druze population near the border. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he anticipated Syria would set up a demilitarized buffer zone stretching from Damascus to the frontier.

On the Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan said Washington’s original 28-point proposal to end the conflict should be viewed as only “a starting point,” adding that the initiative is now taking shape in a different format. He added that US mediation efforts are “on the right path.”