Ankara stresses YPG integration in Syria as key for Türkiye security

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, in Ankara on Thursday as the two neighboring countries continue to deepen relations following the collapse of the Baathist regime in 2024. Their talks eventually turned to the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist group, which has killed thousands of people across Türkiye since the 1980s.

At a joint news conference with al-Shaibani, Fidan underlined that improvements in the security of Damascus and Aleppo were “felt as far as Gaziantep, Mersin and Istanbul,” adding that “destabilizing developments anywhere in Syria also pose a threat to Türkiye.”

“In this context, it is paramount for Türkiye that the ongoing integration process in Syria should not be interrupted. It is essential for all armed groups and so-called entities to be integrated into a centralized and legitimate national structure, both for the unity of Syria and the stability of our region,” he said.

During the Syrian civil war, the YPG, then openly backed by the U.S., launched attacks targeting Turkish border towns. In response, Türkiye launched cross-border military operations and supported the Syrian opposition during the Assad era to drive the YPG out of areas it occupied in northern Syria.

Syria has integrated about 9,000 former YPG members into its national security institutions as part of a broader effort to unify the country’s armed forces, while appointing a former senior YPG official as deputy defense minister, according to officials familiar with the process.

The integration marks one of the most significant steps in implementing an agreement between Damascus and the YPG aimed at dissolving the terrorist group. Roughly 5,000 former YPG members have joined the Syrian Defense Ministry, while another 4,000 have been incorporated into the Interior Ministry, officials said. Non-Syrian foreign members previously affiliated with the YPG have been removed from the country as part of the restructuring process.

Syrian authorities describe the process as a gradual, reciprocal approach under which security, administrative and political measures advance simultaneously to build confidence between the two sides.

Military integration has accelerated in recent months, while negotiations continue over local governance, political representation, constitutional reforms and language rights for Kurdish communities.

The integration process is also indirectly linked to Türkiye’s own initiative to end the PKK threat. This week, lawmakers are discussing a draft bill that would allow for the integration of PKK members through deferred sentences as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which gained momentum in 2025 when the PKK announced that it would dissolve itself. The YPG initially rejected joining the initiative but later accepted Damascus’ demands for integration.

For his part, the Syrian minister said that a Syria free of terrorism and militias and united as one nation was “the strongest guarantee” for protecting the country’s shared border with Türkiye.

Israeli threat

Fidan also described Israeli attacks in Syria as “the greatest threat to the country’s stability,” accusing Tel Aviv of escalating violence across the region.

“Israel’s attacks targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are among the greatest threats to the country’s stability,” Fidan said at the news conference.

He said Damascus had contributed to preserving regional stability throughout the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and stressed that protecting Syria’s security and stability was a shared responsibility of all countries in the region. He added that the international community should respond more forcefully to Israel’s occupation policy and exert the necessary pressure to ensure compliance with the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and respect for Syria’s sovereignty.

Al-Shaibani echoed those remarks, stating that Israel’s attacks targeted Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while also threatening regional stability.

“We reiterate our call for a return to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and for Israel to withdraw to the lines that existed before Dec. 8, 2024. We call on the international community to uphold international law and contribute to preserving the stability of Syria and the region,” he said.

He added that efforts to restore stability in northern Syria were continuing and that diplomatic initiatives aimed at halting Israel’s attacks in southern Syria were also ongoing.

Regarding the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, Syria’s top diplomat stressed that the fighting in the region should come to an end as soon as possible. He noted that the regional tensions were also affecting Syria and said Damascus condemned Iran’s attacks against the Gulf countries.

DAILYSABAH