Fidan Says Erdogan to Visit Syria Soon, Urges Swift SDF Integration

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Syria in the near future, as Ankara pressed Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to move ahead with the integration of the Kurdish-led force into Syrian state institutions.

Fidan made the remarks during a visit to Damascus, where he met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani before the two held a joint press conference.

The Turkish foreign minister said relations between Ankara and Damascus had developed significantly over the past two years and described Syria’s renewed engagement with the international community as an important development for the region.

“Türkiye and Syria have made significant progress in their relations over the past two years,” Fidan said, adding that the new Syria needed to establish a fresh relationship not only with Türkiye but with the wider international community.

He said Syria was making major efforts to expand cooperation with countries across the region and that a more stable and peaceful Syria could contribute to greater stability throughout the Middle East.

Fidan also announced that Erdogan would travel to Syria “in the near future,” without providing a specific date for the visit. The announcement comes as Ankara and Damascus continue to deepen political, security, and economic cooperation following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Fidan Calls for Swift SDF Integration

A major focus of Fidan’s remarks was the future of the SDF and its integration into Syria’s state institutions.

Fidan described the SDF’s declared willingness to dissolve and integrate into state structures as a “productive step” and said it should now be implemented on the ground without wasting time.

“We have received good news during the integration process recently,” Fidan said, describing the SDF’s declaration to dissolve itself and integrate into Syrian state institutions as significant.

He said the move would provide an important response to the Syrian government’s efforts to rebuild state institutions and strengthen the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The integration of all armed groups in Syria under the central state structure is essential to strengthening the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and social unity,” Fidan said.

Fidan added that Syria was making important economic progress and argued that the integration process should advance alongside broader efforts to rebuild the country and strengthen its institutions.

The SDF, which has controlled large parts of northeastern Syria and played a central role in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS), has been engaged in negotiations with Damascus over its future status and the incorporation of its forces and institutions into the Syrian state.

IAEA Closes Long-Running Syria Nuclear File

Fidan also referred to the closure of Syria’s nuclear file, saying the development came alongside what he described as important progress by the Syrian government, particularly in the economic sector.

He said the closure of the nuclear file was among the latest developments as Syria moves forward with its efforts to rebuild state institutions and strengthen its regional ties.

The remarks came after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors unanimously adopted a resolution on Sept. 9 ending its long-running non-compliance case against Syria.

The decision followed cooperation by Syria’s new authorities and access for IAEA inspectors to previously undeclared sites.

Recent inspections uncovered approximately 73 metric tons of natural uranium metal in Syria, while IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said a nearly completed reactor at Deir al-Zor, destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2007, had been configured in a way that could have enabled the production of fissile material usable in nuclear weapons.