By Dilara Hamit
ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the issue of Türkiye-Syria normalization and the ongoing migrant crisis during a visit to the Editor’s Desk at Anadolu headquarters in Ankara on Thursday.
Fidan recalled President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s readiness to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, highlighting that discussions with the Assad regime have been ongoing in various formats, particularly through Russian and Iranian intermediaries.
He explained that since 2017, the Astana Format and Türkiye’s military agreements with Russia have resulted in a frozen conflict between the Syrian regime and the opposition, with no active hostilities but a prevailing silence.
He emphasized that this period of calm provides an opportunity to take steps toward permanent resolutions, if all parties are willing to engage.
Türkiye seeks a political framework that both the regime and the opposition can agree on, in accordance with UN resolutions. Fidan noted: “When this is achieved, we will no longer have a problem.”
Regarding normalization with Syria, the foreign minister stressed that certain issues must be addressed first, citing the large number of Syrian migrants abroad and the Assad regime's troubles with its own people and opposition, which have resulted in millions of migrants.
Over three million Syrians have arrived in Türkiye, and an additional five million are living in areas of Syria outside regime control, with the support of Türkiye and its allies. “Had we not established our presence in Syria, an additional five million people would have come to Türkiye,” he remarked.
Fidan emphasized that Türkiye's presence in Syria aims to stabilize the situation for the large number of people who still feel unsafe under the regime. He argued that without a peace and security arrangement with the regime, it would be impossible to isolate Türkiye from additional migration concerns.
He underlined Türkiye’s firm stance on migrants and terrorism issues, noting, “Our president’s vision on these matters are exceedingly clear. Our institutions, including the Armed Forces, National Intelligence Organization, and diplomacy, are extremely well-coordinated."
He reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to preventing further escalation, avoiding conflicts, and reducing migrants’ flows, while continuing to fight terrorism.
- US policy on Syria
Fidan discussed US policy on Syria, highlighting how Washington often separates its demands from broader concerns.
He noted that US sanctions, particularly those imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, prohibit any commercial relations with Syria, affecting the country's already struggling economy.
He pointed out that US restrictions on trading with Syria, particularly for entities that work with US dollars and American companies, exacerbate Syria's economic problems.
The foreign minister also drew attention to the fact that one-thirds of Syria is occupied by the PKK/YPG, a terrorist organization supported by the US, which controls regions rich in natural resources like oil. He believed that if Türkiye’s preferred solution to Syria was achieved, it would help to resolve other issues within Syria.
- Türkiye, EU ties
Fidan described the recent informal meeting of EU foreign ministers as a significant event, marking Türkiye’s return to EU discussions after a long absence. He noted ongoing dialogues with key EU figures such as Josep Borrell and Oliver Varhelyi, emphasizing the importance of addressing Türkiye-EU relations and finding a way forward.
He acknowledged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's renewed vision for EU relations, stressing that, despite various challenges, Türkiye's commitment to EU membership and collaboration remains steadfast.
He highlighted that, while political will in the EU has shifted since 2008, Türkiye continues to demonstrate its commitment to the accession process and other bilateral issues.
Despite the stagnation in membership negotiations, he also noted that Türkiye must continue to make progress in other areas such as trade, politics, and cultural exchanges with the EU.
Fidan observed that recent geopolitical events, including the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Gaza war, have heightened the EU’s geostrategic concerns, impacting its focus on Türkiye.
"The European Union had fundamentally developed its resilience to economic issues remarkably, channeling its security and geostrategic concerns through America and relying on the protective umbrella provided by it. However, they have now realized that this is no longer sufficient, and that America’s policy will not always be acceptable and embraced by their populations," he said.
"The EU is fundamentally a structure of geographic continuity, which means that Türkiye, as part of Europe geographically, looks at many areas, including the Middle East, Asia, and the Caucasus. Now, you are also part of Europe, geographically. If you had been a member of the European Union in 2008-2009, I believe the UK would not have left the EU," he added.
Fidan emphasized that if the UK and Türkiye had been members of the EU as strong actors from the East and West, the EU would not have been dragged to the Atlantic side. He noted, "Türkiye would not be subject to different gravitational forces; the EU-Türkiye relationship, meaning everyone, could have created a stronger geostrategic center in their respective places."
- EU states act like far-right in their treatment of Türkiye
"European countries have acted as if they were under far-right rule in their relations with Türkiye. Therefore, if the far-right comes to power in the EU today, nothing will change for us," he said.
Fidan discussed the EU's policy, noting, "The European Union has consistently created policy with the concern: ‘What will happen if we advance Türkiye's EU membership and bring positive issues with Türkiye to the forefront in our relations?’ We will lose ground to the far-right. So, let’s not advance positive issues with Türkiye, let’s roll them back."
He pointed out that with this policy, the EU has lost a significant strategic advantage, saying, "You have lost your ability to withstand such international crises. You have missed or delayed the opportunity to solidify a major alliance… 100%."
"When you base street politics on marginalizing others and elevating yourself, and you follow a rapid growth strategy based on this, you may seem to gain something in the short term, but you are also destroying major strategic balances," he warned.
- Global alliances
Fidan said they assess all alternatives and options in the global market, which is distinguished by diversity, mobility, and dynamism.
Regarding BRICS membership, the Turkish foreign minister said: “If our economic integration with the EU had been crowned with membership, it would now be at the Customs Union level. However, if it had been further advanced to membership, we might not have been in such a search in many areas.
"The EU has a mechanism… if economic and commercial cooperation does not produce the income needed by a member country, the bloc intervenes with funds related to infrastructure and other issues. It provides hundreds of billions of euros."
He underlined that they are a government elected by the people and accountable to them, saying, "The government must respond to the primary needs of the people while implementing its actions. For this, it designs its international relations accordingly. As I mentioned, while we try to maintain and advance our relations with the EU with goodwill, it is normal to look for other economic alternatives if there is a pause."
Fidan described BRICS as a platform where institutionalization has not been significantly achieved since its establishment, but discussions have taken place, saying, "We are in a field where integrated elements like the EU's common currency, financing methods, models, investment, criteria, infrastructure, etc., are still not very developed."
When asked if BRICS intends to create a model similar to the EU, Fidan replied, "We'll see once we get involved. That is the scope of our search. As previously mentioned, we are also extremely close to ASEAN. We are closely interested in ASEAN. Türkiye is currently part of other economic cooperation organizations, such as the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization and D8.”