US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the United States on what they would like to see in Syria following the ousting of President Bashar Assad.
“There’s broad agreement on what we would like to see going forward, starting with the interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbours,” Mr Blinken said in joint statements with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan.
The insurgent groups that toppled Mr Assad in Syria have not made clear their policy or stance on Israel, whose military in recent days has bombed sites all over the country, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands.
Mr Blinken also said it was crucial to keep the so-called Islamic State (IS) group under control.
“We also discussed the imperative of continuing the efforts to keep Isis (IS) down. Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of Isis (IS) to ensure that that threat doesn’t rear its head again,” Mr Blinken said.
The Turkish foreign minister said the two discussed ways of establishing prosperity in Syria and ending terrorism in the country.
“Our priority is establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant,” Mr Fidan said, in a reference to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party.
Mr Blinken said: “We’re very focused on Syria, very focused on the opportunity that now is before us and before the Syrian people to move from out from under the shackles of Bashar al-Assad to a different and better future for the Syrian people, one that the Syrian people decide for themselves.”
Mr Blinken and Mr Fidan said they had also discussed a ceasefire for Gaza.
“We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks more encouraging signs that (a ceasefire) is possible,” Mr Blinken said.
Mr Blinken, who is making his 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year, but first since the weekend removal of the Assad regime, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late on Thursday.
The outgoing Biden administration is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already heightened tensions in the region, which is already wracked by multiple conflicts, and create conditions for IS to regain territory and influence.
Later, Mr Blinken made an unannounced stop in Iraq where he met in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani.
Mr Blinken will return to Jordan for urgent meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers to try to unify support for an inclusive post-Assad transition that does not allow IS to take advantage of the political vacuum in Syria and secures suspected chemical weapons stocks.
In Baghdad, Mr Blinken “will underscore US commitment to the US-Iraq strategic partnership and to Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty,” the State Department said.
