Syrian–Turkish normalization

The Syrian–Turkish normalization refers to attempts to restore Syria–Turkey relations that were damaged in the wake of the Syrian crisis. Turkey was considered a strong ally of Syria prior to the year 2011. Diplomatic ties between the two nations have been severed as of 26 March 2012.

The initial explicit endeavor can be traced back to August 2022, when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu articulated the potential for restoring Turkish-Syrian ties to their former state. This was contingent upon the Syrian government offering assurances of positive neighborly interactions, including measures to safeguard borders and combat terrorism and separatist activities.

The Syrian government's position is that there will be no progress in the negotiations unless Ankara withdraws its forces from Syrian territory. The parties sponsoring the Turkish-Syrian reconciliation are seeking to convene a summit between the two nations leaders. The opposition Syrian National Coalition neither supports nor opposes the initiative. In December 2022, a trilateral summit was held in Moscow between the defense ministers of Syria, Turkey, and Russia. On July 7, 2024, Turkish President Erdoğan stated that he could invite Assad to a meeting in Turkey at any time.

Background
On 26 March 2012, Ankara decided to shut down its embassy in Damascus to show disapproval of Assad. However, the consulate in Aleppo remained open. In June 2012, the Syrian Armed Forces shot down a Turkish fighter plane over Syrian territorial waters.

Refugees
A major catalyst for Turkey's rapprochement with Bashar al-Assad's government is the refugee crisis that has been ongoing for 13 years. Recently, Turkish political parties and forces expressed their desire to return Syrian refugees or even deport them to their country. Clashes and acts of violence between Turkish citizens and Syrian residents in Turkey have led to tension between the Syrian opposition and the Turkish authorities. The presence of millions of refugees also creates burdens on the Turkish economy, which is facing difficulties. The safe return of refugees to major cities is one of Türkiye's conditions for resuming relations.

Separatism
It is acknowledged that both parties are concerned about the separatist aspirations demonstrated by the autonomous administration in northeastern Syria, which was established in 2016. The SDF aims to organize elections in this area, a proposal vehemently opposed by Ankara.

Syrian reconciliation
Turkey calls for a solution to the Syrian conflict based on negotiations between the official opposition and the government in Damascus that lead to a comprehensive national unity government.

Timeline

 * 11 August 2022 – The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced that he had a short conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in October 2021. Protests occur in Syrian opposition areas.
 * 23 August 2022 – the Turkish Foreign Minister announces that his country has no preconditions for dialogue with Syria.
 * September 2022, Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan was reported to have visited Damascus
 * 16 September 2022 – Hurriyet newspaper reports that Erdoğan wanted to meet Assad at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Uzbekistan.
 * 3 April 2023 – A meeting in Moscow for the three countries at the level of deputy foreign ministers, in addition to Iran, which was included
 * 25 April 2023 – The defense ministers of the four countries met in Moscow to discuss strengthening security in Syria and normalization between Ankara and Damascus
 * 7 May 2023 – The suspension of Syria's membership in the Arab League is lifted.
 * 28 May 2023 – President Erdoğan wins a new five-year term. There are doubts about the possibility of continuing the normalization path.
 * 17 July 2023 – President Erdoğan says that he is ready to meet with President Assad, but setting withdrawal as a condition for dialogue is “unacceptable.” He added that the issue is their approach towards us. They want Turkey to leave northern Syria. This cannot happen, because we are fighting terrorism.
 * 19 July 2023 – SDF leaders warn against normalization.
 * 9 August 2023 – In an interview, Assad said: Our goal is Turkey's withdrawal from Syrian territory, but Erdoğan wants to legitimize Turkey's presence. Therefore, a meeting cannot take place on Erdoğan's terms.
 * 5 September 2023 – Erdoğan criticizes Syria, saying that it is not taking positive steps towards normalization
 * 28 May 2024 – Erdoğan's ally Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, called for military cooperation with the Syrian government.
 * 17 June 2024 – Aydınlık newspaper reports that a meeting was held between a military delegation from the Turkish Armed Forces and a Syrian military delegation at the Hmeimim base, Latakia, in a resumption of negotiations that have been suspended for a while. It was also reported that the next meeting will be held in Baghdad, Iraq.
 * 26 June 2024: Al-Assad stated during his meeting with the Russian envoy Lavrentiev that his country is open to all initiatives related to relations with Turkey.

Reactions

 * 🇮🇷 Iran: On 13 January 2023, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian welcomed the improving relations between Syria and Turkey.
 * 🇮🇶 Iraq: Iraq has participated in the mediation of rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus to a large extent since April 2024.