Turkish Defense Minister Yashar Güler linked the possibility of withdrawing Turkish troops from Syria with the adoption of a new constitution for this country and ensuring the security of the common border.
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“We are ready to provide all possible support for the adoption of a comprehensive constitution, holding free elections, creating a comprehensive atmosphere of normalization and security, and only when this is done and the security of our border is fully ensured, we will do everything necessary within the framework of mutual coordination,” the minister said , answering a question about the possibility of withdrawing Turkish troops from Syria.
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In 2011, civil war began in Syria. Türkiye, which maintained close relations with Damascus before the conflict, sided with opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This summer, the course towards normalizing relations between the two countries intensified. Thus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his colleagues are determining a plan to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus and implement negotiations between the leaders of Turkey and Syria, possibly in a third country. The Syrian Foreign Ministry responded by saying that the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkey should be based on a return to the situation that existed before 2011. Assad himself said that he is ready for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart if it meets Syrian national interests.
