Turkey’s foreign minister says he plans to meet Syria’s new leadership in Damascus

Turkey’s foreign minister says he plans to meet Syria’s new leadership in Damascus

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has announced plans to meet with the new administration in Damascus. The head of Turkish diplomacy gave his assessment of current events to the French TV channel France 24.

Commenting on the meeting of a high-ranking US delegation with the new administration in Damascus Fidan said he considered it very important. “Before the visit of the US officials, representatives of some European countries and international organizations visited Damascus. We see the establishment of contacts with the new administration in Damascus. This is an important development,” he said.

Asked why Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was not removed from Turkey’s list of terrorist organizations, Fidan said its inclusion was due to the UN list. “Of course, we abide by UN Security Council resolutions, but now there is a different situation where legal and practical aspects contradict each other,” he said.

According to Fidan, “In the past 10 years, Turkey has not seen the HTS engaged in any terrorist activities.”

 “This is something that not only we but also Western intelligence services have identified,” the Turkish foreign minister asserted.