Former Syrian ambassador to Ankara sees positive signs of normalization

The former Syrian ambassador to Turkey believes there are positive signs regarding recent normalization efforts between Ankara and Damascus, including a possible tête-à-tête between their top diplomats.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's statement that the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria was not a precondition for negotiations with Ankara is a response to recent remarks by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Nidal Kabalan, who spoke to BBC Trke by phone.

Erdogan said in July that Turk would formally invite Assad, who was once a close friend.

Kabalan, who was present at Ankara's mission when Turkish-Syrian relations deteriorated following the unrest that began in Syria in 2011, said Assad's remark is in line with Erdoan's desire to normalize relations and messages from Russian and Iraqi mediators that the Turkish president is taking the issue seriously.

Assad wants the troop withdrawal to be the result of negotiations and not a precondition, Kabalan told BBC Trke.

YPG problem

Ankara severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, during which it supported the opposition. Ankara subsequently deployed troops to the north of the country to assist Syrian opposition forces and push back PKK/YPG terrorists.

The YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group, which has killed thousands of people in Trkiye since the 1980s. It took advantage of the political vacuum during the civil unrest to occupy swathes of territory and create a self-proclaimed entity in northeastern Syria. The terrorist group has also found a major ally in the United States against ISIS.

Ankara considers the presence of the PKK/YPG in the immediate vicinity of its border to be a source of serious concern, both for Turkish border towns that have suffered from PKK/YPG attacks in the past and for Turkey as a whole. Authorities have captured several terrorists who infiltrated Syria in recent years, including a woman who planted explosives that killed six people on a busy Istanbul street two years ago.

Damascus opposes the presence of Turkish troops, saying it violates its sovereignty.

Attempts by Moscow and Tehran to reconcile their neighbors in recent years have failed, with the last negotiations collapsing in May 2023, but Ankara is eager to resume the process this summer.

Kabalan said Russia had asked the PKK/YPG and other separatist groups in the region to make a decision and find a way to communicate with the Syrian government.

Diplomatic sources recently told TRT Haber TV channel that Turkey has four conditions to return its relations to the pre-2011 level, the most important of which is the eradication of terrorism while maintaining the country's territorial integrity and unity.

Kabalan believes, however, that the first step Damascus expects from Ankara is a commitment to withdraw its troops.

The Defense Ministry said Thursday that troops were needed to prevent Syria from falling under the control of terrorist groups and prevent the formation of a terrorist corridor.

Kabalan also criticized the PKK/YPG, saying his dream of a separatist formation was not up for debate.

There is no place for any armed group in Syria other than the army, he said, adding that he believes Syria is ready to work hand in hand with Turkey to eliminate any security problem along its borders, as long as it does not endanger its sovereignty, stability and security.

He said Assad's priorities have changed and are now aimed at regaining control of all regions of Syria and rebuilding badly damaged infrastructure.

Syrian security officials are therefore very clear: no part of Syrian territory will be allocated to any ethnic group, including the Kurds, Kabalan said.

Seeding factor

The former envoy also believes that the most difficult issue to resolve in bilateral normalization is the return of some 4 million Syrian refugees to Turkey.

He said Assad could soon grant a full amnesty to all those who fled the country at the height of the crisis and fear sanctions upon their return.

Kabalan expects Foreign Ministers Hakan Fidan and Faisal Mikdad, both of whom he knows personally, to hold talks in the next stage.

While he headed the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Fidan was a keen observer and active participant in the early stages of the Turkish-Syrian conflict.

“I think Fidan is the right man for the job,” Kabalan said. “He knows what it takes to move forward.”

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