The Latest Breaking News from Ankara

Arabs Divided over Syrian-Turkish Normalization and its Conditions

The United Arab Emirates – through senior officials - is seeking to join Russia in sponsoring the normalization of relations between Syria and Türkiye. The United States and Arab countries, meanwhile, are seeking to halt the normalization efforts, or at least, place conditions before they can be complete, signaling Arab…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 8, 2023

Syrians in Opposition Enclave Protest Türkiye-Syria Contacts

Thousands of Syrians held protests Friday in different parts of the opposition-held northwest against recent moves by the governments in Damascus and Ankara to improve ties. The protests in villages and towns in Idlib and Aleppo provinces came a week after the Turkish, Syrian and Russian defense ministers held previously…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 6, 2023

Erdogan: Leaders of Türkiye, Syria Could Meet for Peace

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday he may meet Syria's Bashar al-Assad as part of a new peace process, after their defense ministers met last week for the highest-level talks between the two foes since the Syrian war began in 2011. In a speech in Ankara, Erdogan said the…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 6, 2023

Ten Challenges that Will Determine Syria’s Fate in 2023

Ten developments and files, both local and foreign, will determine the fate of Syria in 2023. The resolution of these files will have implications for years and perhaps even decades to come. They will determine the fate of the three “statelets” in Syria after they remained largely unchanged in the…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 3, 2023

Russia, Türkiye FMs Discuss Holding Fresh Syria Meeting

Russia and Türkiye’s foreign ministers discussed holding another three-way Türkiye-Syria-Russia ministers' meeting in a phone call on Saturday, Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber said, adding that the meeting could take place in the second half of January. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the two had discussed the situation in Syria…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Dec 31, 2022

Despite rhetoric, Greek-Turkish armed conflict seen remote

Even by the standards of Turkey’s and Greece’s frequently strained relations, it was a remarkable escalation

The Independent UK · Dec 31, 2022

Erdogan Proceeding with Efforts to Normalize Ties with Assad, Prioritizes Refugee Return

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ready to meet with head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad if the appropriate conditions are met. Sources indicated that the recent meeting in Moscow between the defense ministers and heads of the intelligence services of Türkiye, Syria and Russia discussed a roadmap for…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Dec 31, 2022

Normalization between Syria and Türkiye … Putin’s Gift to Erdogan

The Russian-sponsored Syrian-Turkish military meeting that was held in Moscow on Wednesday is the latest effort to achieve rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus. It will likely culminate in a “gift” to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin: a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ahead…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Dec 30, 2022

Turkish Court Upholds Rights Leader's Life Sentence

A Turkish appellate court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a leading critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose jailing has added to tensions in Ankara's uneasy ties with the West. Paris-born activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of parole in April…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Dec 29, 2022

Turkey, Syria, Russia defence ministers hold talks in Moscow

The three nations agree to continue meeting in future to ensure stability in Syria and the region, says Ankara.

Al Jazeera · Dec 28, 2022