Türkiye To Lead Restructuring Of Syria’s Army
3 February, 2025 Syrian fighters of the 1st Corps of the Samarkand Brigade take part in a military parade in opposition-held Afrin in northern Syria, November 23, 2022. Photo credits: AFP T?rkiye will restructure the Syrian Army and improve conditions for further military cooperation and mutual defense.
Yenisafak reported on this. Currently, the new Syrian government is seeking to create a new regular and unified army that will allow it to defend the country's independence and participate in operations against illegal military formations on the territory of the state. The country will be assisted in carrying out such large-scale work by its neighbor, T?rkiye.
According to the publication, a meeting was held this week between a Turkish delegation led by Director General for Defense and Security of the Ministry of National Defense Major General ?lkay ALTINDA? and a delegation led by Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra.
Turkish ground forces soldiers. Photo credits: AP
As part of this meeting, the Turkish delegation got acquainted with the military infrastructure of the Syrian army, military facilities, bases and considered potential locations for establishing its own bases and air bases. In addition, the country will help the new Syrian government in repairing and maintaining the combat capability of military equipment that was inherited from the army of former dictator Bashar al-Assad.
"T?rkiye will support Syria in terms of military needs of the army and coordination on the ground. In addition, T?rkiye will support the new administration in maintaining, repairing and supplying weapons and defense systems inherited from the Assad regime," the newspaper notes. Particular attention was paid to the elimination of the Kurdish military and political organization (Partiya Karker?n Kurdistan?), against which T?rkiye is conducting a special operation.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan with new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, December 22, 2024.
Photo credits: Hakan Fidan / X
T?rkiye is currently seeking to get as close as possible to the new government, especially in military terms. T?rkiye is also considering exporting its own weapons to the Syrian army and deploying military contingent and aviation. This will allow T?rkiye to gain a relatively reliable ally in the future, which will allow it to maintain a Turkish military presence in the Middle East.
As previously reported, the new Syrian government terminated an investment agreement with a Russian company to manage the port of Tartus, where Russia's only foreign naval base is located.
Tartus Customs Director Riyad Judi noted that after the port management was returned to the Syrian side, the outdated mechanisms (probably referring to port infrastructure and equipment - Ed.) used by the Russian company without modernization would be restored, although the agreement had provided for that.