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U.S. and allies seek to guide Syrian transition in flurry of diplomacy

Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State and Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye

13 December 2024 14:09 (UTC +04:00)

A growing swell of diplomatic action is focused on the transition of power in Syria in the wake of the sudden collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime last week, along with broader de-escalation across the Middle East, APA reports citing The Washington Post.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday in Ankara, the second day of meetings that reflect the central role Türkiye will play in the weeks to come as the United States and its allies seek an inclusive and orderly transition of power. Türkiye backed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that led the assault that ultimately toppled Assad, and reopened its embassy in Damascus on Thursday.

Blinken has repeatedly pushed for an inclusive Syrian transition this week in his visits to Türkiye and Jordan, a call echoed by the Group of Seven nations in a joint statement saying they would back a “credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance” in Syria.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres also echoed those calls, at the same time calling on Israel to refrain from taking additional military moves there, saying Israel’s attacks on Syrian targets this week represented “extensive violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Israel has said that its attacks were designed to prevent weapons from ending up in the wrong hands. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, in the Middle East for visits to Israel, Qatar and Egypt, echoed that defense on Thursday.