The recent US delegation’s visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus, to meet with the new administration, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is “very significant,” Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated, mentioning that prior to the US officials' visit, European countries and global organizations had already met with the new administration, APA reports citing France 24.
“I think it is very significant. Before this visit, we've seen other European countries and international organizations visiting Damascus and contacting new administration there. I think it is important,” said Fidan in an interview with France 24 channel in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Fidan said he is also planning to visit Damascus and meet with the new administration.
To a question why HTS is still on Türkiye's list of terrorist organizations, Fidan said that it is on the list because of the UN's designation of it as a terrorist organization.
“We put them on the list because of UN listing, because we observe the UN Security Council decisions. So now we are having a unique situation where the legality and practicality are contradicting each other here,” Fidan added.
Stating that HTS has not been observed as involved in any terrorist activities in the last 10 years, Fidan said that this is a point that has been identified not only by Türkiye but also by Western intelligence agencies.
Fidan stated that HTS has had good cooperation with Türkiye, especially in intelligence sharing in the fight against Daesh/ISIS, and that they have been very helpful.
He further stated that due to the sensitivity of the matter, they did not disclose this to the public at the time.
“Over the years, they cooperated with us in providing intelligence on Daesh and al Qaeda-related organizations,” Fidan said.
Fidan said that HTS has also cooperated with Türkiye on even “high-level targets,” such as Daesh/ISIS's former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
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