Turkey, Syria ink defense cooperation deal as Ankara ups pressure on Kurdish-led SDF
The military agreement comes amid Ankara’s warnings to the Pentagon-allied and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces over their refusal to integrate into Syria’s army.
ANKARA — Turkey and Syria signed a long-anticipated military cooperation agreement in Ankara Wednesday for military training and assistance.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Qasra was in Ankara along with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani as well as Syrian intelligence chief Anas Khattab.
While the Turkish side didn’t release any details on the content of the agreement, Syria’s state-run Sana News Agency reported that the deal includes the exchange of military personnel for specialized training, technical assistance and programs in areas such as counterterrorism, mine clearance, cyber defense, military engineering, logistics and peacekeeping.
