- Title: Turkey wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria, foreign minister says
- Date: 4th April 2025
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (APRIL 4, 2025) (REUTERS) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, HAKAN FIDAN, DURING INTERVIEW REPORTER ASKING QUESTION ABOUT HOW ANKARA INTERPRETS INTENSIFICATION OF ISRAELI STRIKES ON SYRIA AND WHETHER IT COULD LEAD TO CONFRONTATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND ISRAEL (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, HAKAN FIDAN, SAYING: "Well, first of all, you know, we don't
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: TURKEY
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Europe,Middle East,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001422204042025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Turkey wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria after repeated Israeli attacks on military sites there undermined the new government's ability to deter threats, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Friday (April 4).
In an interview on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Fidan said Israel's actions in Syria - where the administration of President Ahmed al-Sharaa is a close Turkish ally - were paving the way for future regional instability.
If the new administration in Damascus wants to have "certain understandings" with Israel, which like Turkey is a neighbour of Syria, then that is their own business, he added.
The animosity between Turkey and Israel powers has spilled over into Syria, with Israeli forces striking Syria for weeks since a new administration took control in Damascus. Turkey has called the Israeli strikes an encroachment on Syrian territories, while Israel has said it would not allow any hostile forces in Syria.
Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of military strikes against Iran, Fidan said diplomacy was needed to resolve the dispute and that Ankara did not want to see any attack taking place against its neighbour Iran.
Fidan also said any potential peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia would be "difficult to digest" but still is better than the alternative of more death and destruction.
Turkey, a NATO member, has maintained cordial ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and provided it with military help, while opposing sanctions on Russia.
Fidan said Turkey supported a U.S. initiative to seek an end to the war in Ukraine, but that it was not easy to reach a deal. The sides remained a "little bit far away" from reaching an agreement, he told Reuters.
Asked about potential security guarantees for Ukraine, Fidan said Europe could not provide sufficient guarantees on its own without U.S. support, but added that a deterrence factor was needed for the fighting not to restart.
The prospect of ending the war has also heightened Turkey's role in regional security, making it a key potential partner in the restructuring of Europe's security architecture, as European powers scramble to bolster their own defences and seek guarantees for Ukraine under any forthcoming peace deal.
Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's policy changes on transatlantic security, Fidan said this could be an opportunity for Europe to be more independent after its "huge dependency" on the United States since the Cold War.
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