Syria’s new president Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, a momentous meeting. It is the second trip Sharaa has taken abroad since he was declared the new president of Syria, after he toppled the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad on December 8. It took a month and a half to decide that he would serve as official president in the transition. Sharaa focused until now on meetings with foreign delegations; now that he is president, he is traveling abroad.
While Syria-Turkey ties have many facets, any new Turkish initiative in Syria could raise eyebrows in Israel and across the region. If Turkey does sign some kind of defense agreement with Damascus in which Ankara receives more use of Syria’s airspace, or deploys air defenses and moves more forces into Syria, this will extend Ankara’s sphere of influence.
It could even put that influence closer to the Golan Heights, which could lead to friction with Israel. Turkey is already one of the most hostile countries to Israel – in public statements and its backing of Hamas, while Qatar, which also backs and hosts Hamas, is a close ally of Ankara, all while being a mediator in the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. Sharaa met the Emir of Qatar before traveling to Saudi Arabia over the weekend; now comes Turkey. These are key meetings that reflect the powerful countries in the region. The previous Syrian regime was allied with Iran and Russia; this new one is close to Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. (Read More)
