Reports on July 23 claimed that Syria has asked Turkey to train its armed forces. Ostensibly, Syria wants support against terrorist groups such as ISIS. This will be welcomed by the US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, who has blamed extremists for recent problems in Syria. However, Syria has many hurdles ahead.
The reports of Turkish possible training support would not be a surprise because Turkey has been supportive of the new government of Syria. In addition, Syrian defense ministry personnel and other officials frequently visit Turkey. Some of the members of Syria’s new security forces were previously commanders in Turkish-backed Syrian proxy groups.
In addition, when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ran Idlib, prior to coming to power in Damascus, it was close to Turkey. On July 22, a delegation of Syrian Defense Ministry officials arrived in Turkey to take part in the IDEF 2025 defense exhibition. It is not clear if this is connected to the reports; however, it shows the increasing interest Syria has in Turkish defense products.
The overall Turkish-Syrian engagement historically throughout the civil war points to a natural cooperation between Ankara and Damascus. This is in contrast to how things might have been under the Assad regime, when Damascus and Ankara did not always have warm ties. (Read More)
