...

Logo Pasino du Havre - Casino-Hôtel - Spa
in partnership with
Logo Nextory

Turkish FM meets Syria's interim president in aftermath of Druze and Bedouin clashes

• Aug 7, 2025, 6:01 PM
5 min de lecture
1

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on Thursday, as the new government struggles to unify and assert control over the country.

Syria's state-run news agency SANA said only that the "two sides discussed regional and global developments and ways to enhance joint cooperation in various fields."

Ankara has been a strong backer of the interim government in Damascus since former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in a lightning rebel offensive in December.

Last month, Syria requested Turkey's support to strengthen its defence capabilities following sectarian violence that increased tensions in the country and drew an Israeli military intervention.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, left, sits with Syria's interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa during their meeting in Damascus, 7 August, 2025
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, left, sits with Syria's interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa during their meeting in Damascus, 7 August, 2025 AP Photo

Clashes erupted last month between members of Bedouin tribes and armed factions from the Druze religious minority in the southern Suwayda province.

Government forces that intervened, ostensibly to quell the fighting, ended up siding with the Bedouins.

Israel then launched strikes on government convoys in Suwayda and on the Defence Ministry headquarters in Damascus, saying it was acting to protect the Druze.

Turkey has been vocally critical of Israeli intervention in Syria and also wants to curb the influence of the Kurdish groups controlling north-eastern Syria.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been a key US ally in the fight against the so-called Islamic State terrorist group.

Syrians who had fled their homes during the civil war gather to celebrate their return to their homes in Arbeen, 4 August, 2025
Syrians who had fled their homes during the civil war gather to celebrate their return to their homes in Arbeen, 4 August, 2025 AP Photo

Ankara however regards the SDF as a terrorist group and the Syrian off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

In March, the SDF and Damascus reached an agreement to merge their forces, but its details were vague and the deal has not been implemented.

Turkish defence ministry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, accused the SDF on Thursday of not following through on its commitment.

They said Ankara remains "committed to supporting the Syrian administration’s fight against terrorist organizations and to providing the requested training, advisory, and technical assistance to strengthen its defence and security capacity."


Today

Wildfires rage across southern Europe amid record temperatures
• 2:10 PM
9 min
France, Spain, Greece and Turkey are all battling wildfires as a new heatwave brings record temperatures surpassing 42 degrees Celsius.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/09/wildfires-rage-acr
Read the article
Five foreign ministers condemn Israel's Gaza City takeover plans in joint statement
• 11:44 AM
9 min
The foreign ministers of Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia wrote that "any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law."<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://w
Read the article
Nagasaki remembers atomic bomb victims 80 years on with minute of silence
• 10:37 AM
6 min
Some 74,000 people were killed in Nagasaki in the US bombing in 1945, three days after Hiroshima. As the town’s mayor, Shiro Suzuki, calls to "stop armed conflicts immediately".<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.
Read the article
Latest news bulletin | August 9th, 2025 – Midday
• 10:00 AM
1 min
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this August 9th, 2025 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://
Read the article
Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska to discuss ending Russia's war in Ukraine
• 6:36 AM
4 min
Trump and Putin are set to meet in Alaska next Friday to discuss ending Moscow's all-out war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukrainian territorial integrity is non-negotiable.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a hre
Read the article
Latest news bulletin | August 9th, 2025 – Morning
• 5:00 AM
1 min
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this August 9th, 2025 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://
Read the article