Syria’s last ambassador to Ankara: Damascus expects a concrete step from Turkey

Reuters The news agency reported that the head of the National Intelligence Organization, Hakan Fidan, and his Syrian counterpart, Ali Mamluk, had recently held talks in Damascus.

There was no denial of the news from official sources in Turkey.

Liberty newspaper, on the other hand, wrote that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech at the Samarkand summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, “I wish Assad had come to Uzbekistan, I would meet him”.

These two news stories deepened the debates in the Turkish public about the allegations of the normalization process between Ankara and Damascus.

Kabalan states that these developments are carefully followed both by the public and government circles in Syria.

Evaluating the statement and developments, Kabalan says, “I see limited progress” on the normalization between the two countries.

Kabalan states that Damascus has not yet made an official statement on the issue because it expects a concrete step from Turkey and says, “We are all waiting for how the events will develop and whether the statements made by Erdogan and other Turkish officials about the resumption of relations with Syria will materialize or not.”

“The normalization of relations with Turkey is definitely in the interest of the Syrian people and the Syrian state,” the former ambassador adds.

Kabalan thinks that the current political conjuncture in the region and the world is more suitable for the normalization of the two countries.

Saying, “The world has changed,” Kabalan touches on both the Ukraine war and the Middle East:

“Perhaps we are observing a new world order. The war in Ukraine had an impact on many countries. The tensions experienced in various parts of the region convinced the countries that had taken a much tougher stance before, to new initiatives.

“Therefore, the conditions are more favorable today for the re-development of relations between Turkey and Syria.

“But Turkey was part of the escalation of tensions in Syria. Therefore, it is Turkey that will begin to reduce this tension.”

What are Syria’s expectations from Turkey, according to Kabalan?

Kabalan cites the following demands:

“These will be welcomed in Syria and Damascus will certainly respond to these steps.”

Kabalan, who also opposes the presence of the Turkish army in northern Syria, says the following about the Turkish side’s arguments that groups such as the YPG, which are on the “terrorist organizations” list, are operating in Syria because they threaten the national security:

“For Syria, this is a matter of national security. Whether Kurdish, Arab or Turkmen etc. We are against the armed presence of all illegal groups. We also need a clear definition of terrorism.

“The territorial integrity of Syria was emphasized at the last summit attended by Erdogan, Putin and their Chief in Tehran. This is very important and a comprehensive plan is needed to achieve it.

“The issue of border security has an important history for both countries. While he was serving as ambassador in Ankara, there were systematic high-level meetings between Turkish and Syrian intelligence officers.

“There was a serious cooperation between Syria and Turkey on the control of terrorist Kurdish groups in northern Syria. Before that, the Adana agreement was signed.”

Kabalan is of the opinion that although Syria has various demands from Turkey, a smaller concrete step compared to these main demands will be welcomed in Damascus as a sign of goodwill and a positive response will be given to it.

Kabalan argues that this could be, for example, the suspension of the broadcasts of opposition Syrian TV channels in Turkey:

“In my personal opinion, it would be a small and highly feasible step for Turkey to stop the Syrian opposition TV channels broadcasting in this country from working.

“When Erdogan started the normalization process with Egypt, he stopped the TV channels of the Muslim Brotherhood in the country from criticizing the Egyptian government and its leader. A small and viable step can bring the tension down and it will certainly be very well received in Damascus.”

Kabalan states that one of the important agenda items between the two countries in the coming period will be the return of Syrian immigrants to their country.

According to the former ambassador, he is of the opinion that both regional countries and international institutions should cooperate with Syria in return from the countries in the region that host the Syrians.

Claiming that Syrian immigrants are used for political purposes in different countries, Kabalan comments that “a significant part of the refugees in Turkey want to return”.

However, both the agencies affiliated to the United Nations and various international human rights organizations argue that the conditions in Syria are not ripe for return.

Kabalan opposes statements that returnees face various human rights violations in their country:

“I think that the issue of the return of Syrian refugees can be settled in the near future. I believe that the majority of refugees can safely return to their countries. Several amnesties have been issued, one of which is new. It is propagated that the Syrian administration is arresting the returnees. I know that hundreds of thousands of people have returned, and even those who have carried weapons have accepted to be normal citizens.”

Kabalan says that dialogue with the groups he describes as “militant, conservative groups” is not possible.

Emphasizing the border security frequently, Kabalan states that the 12-year process has damaged both countries economically and politically.

The former ambassador argues that normalization is a necessity of the national interests of both countries.

Kabalan says that time is needed for the real normalization of relations and the transition to the opening of embassies.