Turkish, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Syria in Ankara

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that he discussed Syria “extensively” with his Iranian counterpart in Ankara, adding that both neighbouring countries have exchanged information regarding Kurdish fighters.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday arrived in Ankara, meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He later met with Cavusoglu and both ministers held a joint press conference.

“We discussed Syria extensively,” Cavusoglu told reporters, adding that Ankara still prioritises the territorial integrity of Syria.

“The fight against terrorism is important for both countries. Iran and Turkey are suffering from terrorism,” he said, adding that this issue was discussed during the meeting with the Iranian minister.

Syria and Turkey ties severed in 2011 after Turkey accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of massacring his people who were seeking to topple his regime. Turkey later supported armed groups who were fighting the Syrian army.

Turkey has recently tried to normalise relations with Damascus but the Syrian regime seems skeptical, with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad telling Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday that “We cannot talk about the resumption of normal ties with Turkey without removing the occupation.”

Erdogan has repeatedly said recently that he wants to meet Assad.

Mekdad affirmed that a potential meeting between Assad and the “Turkish leadership depends on removing the differences that led to this dispute,” referring to the presence of Turkish troops in Syria and Ankara’s support for armed opposition factions.

The talks between Turkey and Syria are mediated by Russia. The meetings were initially held at the level of security heads but defence ministers of both neighbouring countries met in Moscow late last month for the first time.

Cavusoglu said that preparations are underway for a meeting between him and Mekdad.

Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday that Iran welcomes the efforts to normalise Ankara-Damascus relations, claiming that this is the outcome of “efforts made by Iran in previous years.”

The Turkish and Iranian foreign minister also talked about the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but listed as a terrorist group by Ankara.

The Turkish minister said that the PKK is present in both Turkey and Iran, noting that his country has taken “necessary measures” at home and outside the country to fight the Kurdish group.

He also said that Turkey and Iran had previously exchanged information about the PKK.

Turkey often carries out military operations against the PKK at home and in the Kurdistan Region, and it also targets Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria (Rojava), claiming that they are affiliated to the PKK.

Turkey has conducted three offensives against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) since 2016, and it is threatening to carry out a fresh military campaign against them in the near future.

YPG is the backbone of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Mazloum Abdi, General Commander of the SDF, told Al-Monitor on January 14 that he expects Turkey to attack the Kurdish city of Kobane in northern Syria next month “because of its symbolic meaning for Kurds world over.”

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