Turkey's Fidan tells Rubio Syria conflict needs to end now

AL-Monitor
Jul 19, 2025
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a nuclear cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (not pictured), at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a nuclear cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (not pictured), at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo — Umit Bektas

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the conflict in Syria needs to end immediately, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Saturday.

Fidan said that he supports the constructive role the United States is playing in Syria and Turkey is ready to work with it to achieve a lasting end to the conflict, the source said.

"Fidan said that Israel's interventions in Syrian territory further exacerbate the problem, and that any attack on Syria's territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty also undermines regional peace efforts," the source said.

On Friday, the U.S. envoy to Turkey said Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire after days of bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area that has killed over 300 people.

(Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Barbara Lewis)