Turkey is strengthening its military presence in Syria by providing training and advisory support to the new Syrian armed forces, with no immediate plans to withdraw or relocate its troops, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters.

In a written statement, Guler stressed that Turkey remains committed to aiding Syria’s new government, which came to power after opposition groups, some formerly backed by Ankara, removed Bashar al-Assad from power in December.

“We have started providing military training and consultancy services, while taking steps to increase Syria's defence capacity,” Guler said, though he did not elaborate on specific measures.

With more than 20,000 Turkish troops stationed in Syria, Guler said it was premature to discuss any troop withdrawal or redeployment.

Strategic priorities

Turkey currently controls large areas of northern Syria and has established multiple military bases following several cross-border operations targeting Kurdish militants it considers "terrorist threats."

“This can only be re-evaluated when Syria achieves peace and stability, when the threat of terrorism in the region is fully removed, when our border security is fully ensured, and when the honourable return of people who had to flee is done,” Guler said.

However, secret negotiations between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish officials have been underway since Spring 2024, aimed at ending decades of conflict between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and addressing Turkish concerns about Kurdish autonomy in northeast Syria, Al-Monitor reported.

Despite continued military operations targeting the PKK and Syrian Kurdish infrastructure, Ankara's approach is evolving. Turkish forces have scaled back assaults since March, with a US-brokered ceasefire around the Tishreen Dam holding for over two months.

Preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, combating terrorism, and supporting the stability of the country remain Ankara's stated objectives.

Tensions with 'Israel' over aggression on Syria

Turkey’s expanded presence and influence in Damascus has raised concerns from "Israel", especially following its latest airstrikes on southern Syria late Tuesday.

While tensions have grown, Guler confirmed that Turkey and "Israel" are continuing de-confliction talks aimed at avoiding military incidents.

“These are technical-level meetings to establish a de-confliction mechanism to prevent unwanted events,” Guler explained. “Our efforts to form this line and make it fully operational continue. Yet it should not be forgotten that the de-confliction mechanism is not a normalisation.”

Since late 2023, Ankara has increasingly condemned "Israel's" military actions in Syria and its ongoing assault on Gaza, accusing it of destabilising the region and obstructing Syrian recovery efforts.

Read more: Israeli-Turkish talks on Syria a sort of Sykes-Picot: Israeli media