No cooperation with Türkiye until demands met: Syrian FM

Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad made comments about the recent Türkiye-Syria normalization efforts in Cairo with Egyptian media figures and others at the Syrian Embassy, saying that there will be no cooperation until demands are met.

‘No progress without withdrawal’

Responding to a question about Syria’s stance on Türkiye, Mekdad stated that there will be no engagement with Ankara unless Türkiye meets Syria’s demands. “If Türkiye wants to take new steps toward cooperation, it must withdraw from the Arab lands it has occupied in northern Syria and western Iraq,” Mekdad said.

Mekdad also addressed the recent incident where Syria’s delegation walked out of an Arab League meeting as Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan began speaking. He reiterated that there would be no cooperation with Türkiye without concrete action.

However, the Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad expressed willingness to engage in high-level Assad Türkiye talks for normalization during his speech at the Parliament, stating that contrary to earlier reports, the troop withdrawal of Turkish military forces from Syrian territory is not a prerequisite for initiating discussions.

Assad’s statement came when Russian-led diplomatic efforts to mediate between the two countries failed to achieve results.

‘Syria open to return of Syrian refugees’

Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad also reaffirmed that Syria is open to the return of Syrian refugees and urged Western countries to support this effort instead of hindering it through sanctions and coercive measures.

Faisal Mekdad also said that the sanctions imposed by Western nations are the main obstacle to facilitating the return of refugees and improving the humanitarian situation in Syria.

He noted Syria has cooperated with the United Nations to ease the return process and urged the West to lift the restrictions on the Syrian people.

The Syrian foreign minister also expressed his confidence in Egypt’s role in advancing Arab solidarity and resolving regional disputes, affirming that there is nearly complete alignment between Cairo and Damascus on most key issues.

Syrian delegation reportedly walked out during Turkish FM’s speech

The 162nd session of the Arab League Council saw a diplomatic disruption as the Syrian government delegation, led by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, reportedly walked out during FM Fidan’s speech.

The Syrian delegation left the hall after Fidan’s address began, only returning once it had concluded, according to Al Arabiya.

The Syrian delegation, however, returned to the meeting after Fidan’s speech ended.

Turkish journalist Ragip Soylu also reported that only one member of the Syrian delegation was present during Fidan’s speech.