Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday said the international community must come together to help Syria rebuild and develop following the ouster of Bashar Assad and the end of a devasting 13-year civil war.
“We believe the international community has a responsibility to rebuild and get Syria back on its feet,” Fidan said at the opening of a trilateral meeting of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan’s ministries of foreign affairs, transport and trade in the capital Ankara.
“We will continue to provide all the support necessary for Syria to take its rightful place in the region and the international community,” the minister said.
“The pleasing and promising developments in Syria open a new window of opportunity for the region,” he continued. “Syria’s stability and development will also facilitate stability and security in the region, bringing along fresh opportunities in logistics, transport, trade and energy.”
“We wish to see a Syria with full sovereignty, rid of terrorism and restored to its stability and prosperity,” he concluded.
Türkiye maintains close ties with the new administration of Syria and was one of the first countries to open its embassy in Syria on Dec. 14 after the fall of the Baathist regime.
Intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın was the first official to visit Damascus under the new administration, while Fidan became the second senior figure to visit the Syrian capital, where he met new leaders.
Türkiye backed the Syrian opposition against Assad when the civil war broke out in 2011.
The war displaced millions, and many among them fled to Türkiye, where they lived as refugees for years. In the last year of the war, Türkiye pushed for normalizing ties with the Assad regime, though to no avail.
When the Baathist rule of Assad ended in December, Ankara called it a revolution.
Calling for a peaceful transitional period and an inclusive government, Ankara has since led the diplomatic efforts to help Syria regain its normalcy and ensure stability in neighboring countries where developments directly affect Türkiye.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed to help the new Syrian administration form a state structure and a new constitution as the country looks to rebuild after years of civil war.
Trilateral meeting
The Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan trilateral meeting will cover foreign policy issues, strengthening regional cooperation in trade, economy and investment, developing regional transportation networks, and enhancing collaboration in the transport and communications sectors.
At the end of the trilateral meeting, the “Ankara Declaration” is expected to be signed, along with an Action Plan outlining a concrete road map for the three countries to follow in the future.
The first meeting in this format was held on Aug. 2, 2022, in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war caused disruptions in supply chains. In response to these developments, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan established this trilateral platform to discuss projects aimed at strengthening economic, transportation and energy connectivity among countries located along the historical Silk Road.
The meeting addresses topics such as harmonizing customs regulations and legislation, promoting the use of electronic services, and gradually removing trade barriers based on principle of mutual benefit.
The meeting is also seen as a concrete demonstration of Türkiye’s close solidarity and cooperation with the countries of the Turkic world.
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