Key points
- Israeli source confirms meeting took place
- Israel seeks to dynamite Syria revolution: Turkey
- Turkish ministry says Israel must abandon its expansionist stance
ISLAMABAD: The Turkish National Defense Ministry has stated that the first technical meeting between Türkiye and Israel on a conflict prevention mechanism aimed at avoiding “unwanted incidents” in Syria was held on Wednesday in Azerbaijan.
Turkish ministry on Thursday added that Israel must immediately end its “provocative attacks,” which are threatening Syria’s territorial integrity and destabilizing its security and stability.
“To ensure regional security, Israel must abandon its expansionist, occupying stance and the international community must prevent this unlawfulness,” the ministry said.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the ministry also added that Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement activities in the West Bank, along with its failure to stop attacks on regional countries, are undermining stability and peace in the region.
Technical talks
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Turkish sources said the technical talks marked the beginning of efforts to set up a channel to avoid potential clashes or misunderstandings over military operations in the region.
“Efforts will continue to establish this mechanism,” one of the Turkish sources said, without providing further details on the scope or timeline of the talks.
An Israeli political source confirmed the meeting took place and said that “Israel made it unequivocally clear that any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria – and in particular the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra area – is a red line and will be considered a breaking of the rules.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed in statement that an Israeli delegation led by National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi had held talks with Turkish officials in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, the British news agency reported.
“Sowing divisions”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Friday of sowing divisions in Syria in a bid to “dynamite” the “revolution” that toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Turkey is a key backer of Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition that ousted Assad in December.
“Israel is trying to dynamite the December 8 revolution by stirring up ethnic and religious affiliations and turning minorities in Syria against the government,” Erdogan told a forum in the southern Mediterranean resort of Antalya.
Sharaa, who arrived in Antalya earlier in the day, met with Erdogan on the sidelines of the diplomacy forum, with the Turkish presidency posting a photo of the two shaking hands on X.
Joint cooperation
A Syrian foreign ministry statement said the talks emphasised “Turkey’s support for the Syrian people for reconstruction and lifting the economic sanctions on Syria”.
The talks also addressed “strengthening joint cooperation between the two countries in different sectors”, the statement said.
It was Sharaa’s second trip to Turkey as leader, after Erdogan welcomed him to Ankara in February, according to AFP.
Besides Erdogan, Sharaa also met with Qatar’s foreign minister.
“During these meetings, we discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, expand areas of cooperation, and coordinate on issues of common interest, serving the interests of our peoples and enhancing security and stability in the region and the world,” Sharaa said on Telegram.
He said the forum was a valuable chance to emphasise “the need to respect the unity and sovereignty” of Syria, with diplomacy “the most effective means of resolving conflicts and promoting peace”.
