Turkey's Call for Change: Future Without Kurdish Militants in Syria

Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, visited Damascus, urging the disbandment of Kurdish YPG militia in Syria, deemed terrorists by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. Fidan discussed Syria's future with new leaders amid tensions in the northeast, advocating for territorial sovereignty and the lifting of sanctions against Assad.

In a significant diplomatic effort, Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, became the first official to visit Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, in an attempt to reshape discussions on Syria's future. His message was clear: there is no place for Kurdish YPG militants in Syria's evolving landscape.

Fidan's visit comes amid heightened tensions in northeast Syria, where Turkish-backed Syrian rebels clash with the YPG, the core of the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces. In talks with Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Fidan affirmed Ankara's stance, urging Syria's new administration to ensure national unity and territorial sovereignty.

Turkey has long considered the YPG an arm of the PKK, a group it regards as terrorists. Fidan emphasized the necessity of sanctions relief to aid Syria's reconstruction, suggesting that international perspectives need aligning as Syria transitions to new governance.

(With inputs from agencies.)