Turkey, 'Israel' meet in Azerbaijan to discuss Syria
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Turkish and Israeli officials held a meeting in Azerbaijan to discuss preventing conflicts in Syria, with Turkey urging the Israeli occupation to halt provocative actions threatening Syria's territorial integrity and regional stability.
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Firemen work at the site of an Israeli missile strike in Damascus, Syria, on March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Turkish and Israeli officials held their first meeting in Azerbaijan to discuss a conflict prevention mechanism in Syria, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.
The meeting, which took place on Wednesday, aimed to avoid "unwanted incidents" between Turkey and "Israel" in Syria.
The ministry has urged "Israel" to "immediately halt provocative attacks that threaten Syria's territorial integrity and destabilize its security."
It emphasized that to ensure regional stability, "Israel" must abandon its "expansionist, occupying stance" and that the international community must prevent such actions.
Since the fall of the Assad government in Syria late last year, Turkey and "Israel" have had tensions over their presence in the country.
"Israel" has occupied parts of southern Syria with intentions to annex the region, and has launched repeated strikes in the area.
Turkey has condemned Israeli actions as an encroachment on Syrian territories, while "Israel" insists that it is preventing "hostile" forces in Syria.
'Turkey has no intention of conflict in Syria'
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Turkey maintains a non-confrontational approach in Syria but stands ready to take preventive measures against security threats.
"We have no intention of conflict in Syria," Fidan said, emphasizing that Ankara "cannot remain spectators," to instability in the region that could threaten its national security. "When necessary, we will take preemptive measures to neutralize problems before they escalate," Fidan added.
The minister criticized "Israel" for the "systematic destruction" of Syrian airbases over the past four months, condemning the campaign as unjustifiable while pointing out that this deliberate targeting of military facilities has been ongoing since President Assad left, as he observed.
Fidan highlighted the deepening cooperation with Syria in various fields, framing it as an expected progression given their neighboring relationship, while stressing that numerous sectors demand collaborative efforts and expressing Türkiye's willingness to engage in any partnership aligning with shared security objectives, he stated.
Addressing Middle East tensions, Fidan proposed that the US establish defined limits for "Israel's" Netanyahu government, drawing parallels to Donald Trump's electoral pledges to address both the Palestinian and Ukrainian crises while expressing optimism about potential advancements in these two areas, he remarked.
While strongly criticizing Israeli military actions, Fidan simultaneously recognized the practical necessities of Türkiye's ongoing Syrian deployment, disclosing that technical coordination with Israel occurs periodically every few months when required to avoid aerial confrontations.
