Qatar emir in Turkey on surprise visit as efforts for Syria ceasefire intensify
The Qatari leader's unannounced visit came amid efforts to extend a ceasefire between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria. The two also discussed reconstruction efforts.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday to discuss Syria's reconstruction plans amid ongoing efforts to extend a ceasefire between Turkish-backed groups and the US-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The visit came as a surprise and is the first meeting between the two following the fall of the Syrian regime on Dec. 8.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi also attended Tuesday’s meeting, which wasn’t announced in Erdogan's daily program.
The visit came amid Western-led efforts to extend a ceasefire between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria.
“President Erdogan stated that Turkey is fighting against all terrorist organizations in a bid to protect its own national security as well as to end the instability in Syria immediately and will continue to do so,” according to a statement by the Turkish side after the visit.
Erdogan also stressed the importance of international cooperation for the reconstruction efforts in Syria.
"President Erdogan stated that Turkey stands by the Syrian people and government to protect Syria’s territorial integrity, unity and unitary structure, and stressed the need for international cooperation in the country’s reconstruction process," the statement added.
Ankara equates the SDF with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting against Turkish forces for Kurdish self-rule inside Turkey since 1984. While the PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, the SDF is the main ally of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State.
Al-Monitor was the first to report on Monday that the Turkish-backed SNA informed the Kurdish-led group that it was ending the ceasefire between the two parties, fueling speculation about an imminent offensive on the northeastern Syrian border town of Kobani.
Following the Qatari emir’s visit, the US State Department announced that the ceasefire between Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups and the SDF, agreed upon last week, has been extended until the end of the week.
“It is extended through the end of the week,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during Tuesday’s daily briefing. “And we will obviously look to see that ceasefire extended as far as possible into the future.”
The two leaders also discussed the situation in Gaza, the Qatari statement said, amid intensifying efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
“During the meeting, they shared perspectives on a range of issues and developments on the regional and global stages, especially the situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the latest developments in Syria,” the statement said.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier Tuesday that a potential deal with the militant group was closer than ever. Both Doha and Ankara maintain close ties with Hamas’ political leaders.
