Turkey and Syria to form strategic council as ties deepen amid Israel tensions

Turkey and Syria agreed to establish a High-Level Strategic Council after talks between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, a step that deepens security and political cooperation and is likely to aggravate Israel. Both ministers publicly blasted Israeli strikes in Syria, with Fidan calling them a major threat to Syrian stability and Shibani urging Israel to return to the positions it held before Dec. 8, 2024. The two also discussed activating a Four Seas Initiative to link energy and transport networks from the Gulf to the Black Sea, and noted that U.S.-mediated deconfliction talks with Israel remain underway. Shibani additionally condemned attacks on Gulf states in an apparent rebuke to Iran.

Kurdish integration and consolidation in Damascus

Shibani’s visit also served to update Ankara on talks to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its civilian structures into Damascus, a process tied to Turkey’s effort to end the PKK insurgency. Turkish lawmakers are poised to pass amnesty measures for PKK-linked prisoners, and Ankara wants SDF elements not absorbed into the army to demobilize and turn over weapons as part of a Jan. 29 agreement. Kurdish leaders Mazlum Kobane and Ilham Ahmed met with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus to negotiate roles and integration; Ahmed is reportedly being considered for a foreign ministry post, while Kobane may pursue a new party. Damascus has grown frustrated at the slow pace of weapon handovers and resists constitutional guarantees for Kurdish-language education and women fighters joining the national army. Syrian moves to consolidate control also included sidelining rebel commander Mohammed al-Jassem (Abu Amsha) from his local power base. Shibani said a Syria "free of terrorism and militias" and united as one is the best guarantee for protecting both countries’ borders, as reported by Al-Monitor

This story has also been reported by: The Syrian Observer