US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan agreed yesterday on the need for continued efforts to counter any resurgence of Islamic State in Syria following the fall of Bashar Al Assad.
Washington’s top diplomat also said that he discussed the imperative of Palestinian group Hamas saying “yes” to a Gaza ceasefire agreement in his talks with Türkiye's president and foreign minister. A US official said Hamas has softened its position in ceasefire talks.
Blinken is touring the Middle East to establish a united front with Arab and Turkish allies on the set of principles that Washington hopes will guide Syria’s political transition, such as inclusivity and respect for minorities.
He said on Monday that Islamic State would try to use this period to re-establish capabilities in Syria, but the US was determined not to let that happen.
“Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS, to ensure that threat doesn’t rear its head again, and it’s imperative that we keep at those efforts,” Blinken said alongside Fidan after they met in Ankara.
Talks also focused on a critical aspect of establishing stability in Syria – clashes in the north of the country between the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed rebels.
The SDF is the main ally in a US coalition against the Islamic State militants. It is spearheaded by a group that Ankara sees as an extension of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants that it outlaws and who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years.
Nato allies Washington and Ankara supported Syrian rebels during the 13-year civil war, but their interests clashed when it came to the SDF faction.
Turkish leaders agreed with Blinken that the SDF should not be distracted from its role of securing camps holding detained Islamic State fighters, and from fighting the remnants of that group, the US official said.
Blinken also pressed the importance of a ceasefire to end hostilities between Hamas and Israel in Gaza during his meetings in Türkiye, as Washington makes a fresh push to clinch a deal that has eluded President Joe Biden’s administration for over a year.
“In my discussions with President Erdogan and with Minister Fidan we talked about the imperative of Hamas saying yes to the (Gaza) agreement that’s possible to finally help bring this to an end,” Blinken said. “We appreciate very much the role that Turkey can play in using its voice with Hamas, to try to bring this to conclusion.”
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