Fidan to the Financial Times: Ankara hopes Trump will withdraw US troops from Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he thinks that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa now has a better understanding of the society he is dealing with.

Interviewed by Financial Times, Fidan described the Israeli attacks on Syrian territory as clear provocation.

“Israel sees every Arab and Muslim country as a threat and this is very dangerous,” he stressed.

Fidan went on to say that the SDF militia must dissolve itself and expel its non-Syrian fighters from the country.

“SDF must dissolve itself or face renewed Turkish military action, as some 2,000 SDF fighters are members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). We cannot allow the SDF to continue”, Fidan explained.

He pointed out “we want to give President al-Sharaa’s government time to deal with the SDF”.

Fidan also said “we are pushing for a plan to develop a regional coalition to fight the jihadists as an alternative to the US-led mission”.

He clarified that Turkey want to dispel the narrative that the Kurdish-led militants are necessary to prevent the return of ISIS”.

Turkish forces may take control of camps and prisons run by the SDF in northern Syria, Fidan pointed out, noting that Ankara hopes Trump will withdraw US troops from Syria.

Hanan Shamout