Syrian President al-Sharaa impresses diplomats in Turkey forum - analysis

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) in Turkey on Friday, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indonesian leader Prabowo Subianto to discuss Syria’s future.

The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, was also in attendance. He has been a key part of Ankara’s engagement with the new Syrian president since ex-president Bashar al-Assad fell from power and Sharaa became the new leader in Damascus.

Sharaa formerly led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group that controlled Idlib in northwestern Syria.

Although he was an ally of Turkey, he was not Ankara’s proxy like the Syrian National Army (SNA), a group of proxies that Turkey backs in northern Syria, was.

As such, Sharaa is seen as independent and also a young face for modern Syria as it emerges from a decade and a half of civil war.

There are concerns, particularly in Israel and some other places, that Sharaa may not be able to get rid of his past, in which he was an extremist and his group was linked to Al-Qaeda. However, judging by the reaction at the ADF, there is a lot of hope in the region for his success.

“In a pivotal meeting at the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum... Erdogan and Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, emphasized the importance of peace and stability in Syria, expressing a shared commitment to preventing any resurgence of chaos in the war-torn nation,” Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported.

“Erdogan welcomed the opportunity to work toward a future in which Syria experiences years of stability, prosperity, and peace,” the report said.

It added that “Sharaa engaged in several high-level meetings during the event, including talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani.”

SHARAA HAS been showcasing his skills since he first traveled to Saudi Arabia after taking power in Damascus this past December. He also visited Turkey and then Cairo. Sharaa has sought to reach out to various sides in the Middle East.

Yet, challenges do exist. Israel has said it wanted southern Syria demilitarized and has been carrying out airstrikes in the country since December 8.

Israel has also taken over areas near the border along a line that was a buffer zone since the 1974 ceasefire along the Golan Heights. Further, the Jewish state seized the top of Mount Hermon, which was previously held by Syria. Israel had held lower areas of the mountain; now, Israeli troops are at its peak.

Moreover, Israeli officials have accused Sharaa of being a “jihadist” claiming that he is merely masking his actual views. However, he has sought to unify Syria and is now seeking accommodation with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria.

Israel has said it could back Kurdish and Druze minorities in Syria. So far, these groups have preferred outreach to Damascus rather than Israel’s words.

Prior to the forum in Turkey, Syria had received a delegation from South Korea, which shows that the country is also doing outreach in Asia. It is now forging connections with players that were not open to the Assad regime. Syria also held a meeting in Antalya with the Kosovo leader.

It is important to take note of the outreach to Azerbaijan as well. Both Kosovo and Azerbaijan are friends of Israel. It is possible that Syria’s forming ties with them could help reduce Israel’s concerns.

Also, Israel and Turkey have engaged in de-escalation talks regarding Syria, and Azerbaijan has backed these talks.

Baku could play a new role as a mediator in this respect. US President Donald Trump’s administration would likely look positively on this outcome since it also backs the peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. US envoy Steve Witkoff has been in Baku since mid-March to discuss these issues.

Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan support Sharaa

Other wheels are in motion as well. Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani “reiterated Qatar’s full support for Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and the aspirations of its brotherly people for security and stability,” Syria’s SANA media reported on Saturday.

Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that “the two sides reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them, the latest developments in Syria and the State of Qatar’s support for Syria in the energy sector, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.”

SANA also reported on the new ties between Damascus and Baku.

“Bilateral relations between Syria and Azerbaijan have entered a new phase following the fall of the former regime, revealing diverse opportunities for enhancing cooperation, particularly after the resumption of diplomatic relations and the reopening of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Damascus, which had been closed for 12 years, according to Lala Khalilzade, a leading adviser at the Center for International Relations Analysis in Azerbaijan,” SANA reported on Saturday.

Khalilzade told the news agency that “given the current developments, promising prospects have emerged for strengthening cooperation between Syria and Azerbaijan and elevating it to a more effective level.

“The resumption of activities at Azerbaijan’s embassy in Damascus reflects a mutual commitment to explore new horizons in political and diplomatic collaboration,” the report added. Baku has also provided humanitarian aid to Syria.

IN ADDITION, the president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, met Sharaa for the first time at the ADF event on Friday.

“I was pleased to meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Antalya. We discussed the situation in Syria, where he shared his vision for a future Syria that embraces all of its people. I commended his inclusive approach and assured him of our continued support,” Barzani said in a post on social media.

“We also reaffirmed our shared commitment to the ongoing fight against ISIS. I was encouraged by... Sharaa’s dedication to regional peace and security,” he said.

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq borders the Kurdish regions of eastern Syria, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces operate. In early March, Sharaa met with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi. The US has supported the recent talks between the SDF and Damascus.

The US also sent forces to the Tishrin Dam in Syria over the weekend to be part of a mechanism in which Syria’s government will apparently find accommodation with the SDF there.

The forces had been holding the dam, but it came under attack by Turkish-backed SNA forces. The Barzani-Sharaa meeting is important because Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party has ties with Kurdish parties in Syria.

In a possible future unified Syria, the ties with the Kurdistan region will be important for Damascus. The meeting with Sharaa came as Barzani also hosted Iraq’s prime minister in Erbil, and Qubad Talabani, another Kurdish leader, attended the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece.