Syrian FM in Ankara: Erdoğan pursues twin strategy on Kurdish issue and Syria

Syria’s interim Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shibani met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 15 in Ankara, marking the first such visit since the recent regime change in Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also present at the closed-door meeting held at the Presidential Compound in Beştepe district in Ankara.

The high-level meeting coincides with Ankara’s intensified diplomatic efforts on both Syria policy and Kurdish issue, as President Erdoğan delivered significant messages regarding what ruling alliance officials carefully avoid calling a “peace process.”

Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting earlier on January 15, Erdoğan outlined clear conditions: “If necessary calls are made and the terrorist organization and related structures take the required steps, all of Türkiye will win.” He added a stark warning that “if this opportunity is missed,” the government would pursue its “terrorism-free Türkiye goal through other methods.”

What he referred as “necessary calls” is the PKK’s announcement to “dissolve itself” which Erdoğan’s ruling ally MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli framed as “burying the arms.”

DEM Party delegation’s Öcalan visit

The initiative he mentioned gained momentum after the MHP leader’s unexpected October 2024 call for PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan to announce the organization’s dissolution.

Following Bahçeli’s call, a DEM Party delegation, comprising Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Pervin Buldan and Ahmet Türk, has made one significant visit to İmralı where Öcalan is kept in solitary confinement.

They announced that they made their due application for a second visit for next week. The delegation plans to release a comprehensive statement about their meetings on January 17.

The process has received broader political support, including from imprisoned former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ as the delegation has visited them last week.

“The responsible approach of other actors has been noted with satisfaction by us,” Erdoğan said, acknowledging their support, though indirectly.

On the other hand, Bahçeli insists in his latest statement that “after the second meeting between the DEM delegation and İmralı, PKK’s organizational existence should be declared over without any preconditions,” maintaining the narrative of counter-terrorism success rather than peace negotiations, in parallel to Erdoğan’s statements.

Syria, regional dynamics and Trump factor

The timing of these domestic developments appears closely tied to regional dynamics and U.S. politics.

As Erdoğan spoke at the parliament, Syria’s interim Foreign Minister al-Shibani was in Türkiye for high-level talks.

The convergence of these initiatives gains additional significance with Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House.

According to journalist Cansu Çamlıbel’s recent analysis, Ankara is racing against time to secure a “bury the weapons” call from Öcalan by early March to strengthen its position with the incoming Trump administration.

During his speech, Erdoğan asserted that Türkiye could “crush the heads of terrorist organizations in Syria in a short time if everyone withdraws from the region,” in what appears to be a message directed at Washington.

Washington and Ankara continue discussions over the future of various armed groups in Syria, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).

Turkish proposals have reportedly met with skepticism from American officials, particularly regarding the future of Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria and the integration of Turkish-backed forces into a unified Syrian military structure.