Turkey and Syria Sign Military Education Memorandum

Turkey and Syria have signed a memorandum of understanding in Ankara, focusing on military education and consulting. The defense ministers of the two countries, Murhaf Abu Kasra and Yaşar Güler, ratified the agreement.

The Syrian Foreign Minister, Asan Hasan Al-Saibani, and the head of the Syrian intelligence service, Hussein Salameh, also attended the meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed concerns regarding talks between the Kurds of northern Syria and the government of Ahmed al-Sara, urging the Kurdish YPG militia to stop being a threat to Turkey.

Turkish publications report that Damascus is preparing for a military operation against the Kurdish-controlled Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the support of Turkey. However, there was a meeting between an official of the Kurdish administration and the head of Syrian diplomacy, where it was reportedly agreed that 'there is no room for military option'.

SDF leader Mazloum Abdi had signed an agreement in principle with Damascus to integrate his forces into the future Syrian army, but there are disagreements regarding Kurdish autonomy.