December 23, 2024
By Nasser Kandil
• Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, could not restrain himself from acting as though he were the High Commissioner of a Turkish Mandate over Syria. His approach to his seat flagrantly disregarded the simplest protocols of relations between independent states.
• Despite his attempt to maintain a cautious tone in his statements, Fidan, a man shaped by his leadership of Turkish intelligence, failed to conceal a patronising attitude that dictates to Syria how it should be. He spoke of a “transitional phase” as if on behalf of the Syrians and called upon Arabs to return to Syria under his self-assigned role as patron and custodian.
• Fidan made no effort to hide Turkey’s vision of building a state with a clear allegiance to Ankara on all levels. However, he couched this in terms of “establishing a system to protect minorities in Syria and drafting a new constitution that respects all sects”. Not once did he mention the idea of a state inclusive of all Syrians, a democratic state, or a civil state. Instead, his vision was of a mere “state” -a state tasked with safeguarding minorities and granting sects the freedom to practice their religious rituals. This reflects the Justice and Development Party’s concept of statehood, which it has been unable to impose in Turkey due to internal and external constraints that uphold its secular character.
• The High Commissioner devoted the bulk of his remarks to the issue of combating terrorism. In his view, terrorism is limited to the Kurdish SDF forces. As for groups designated as terrorist organisations by the United Nations, they do not qualify as such in his eyes. Turkey, he admitted, merely humored the UN by accepting these classifications and even called for their removal. On the other hand, the Kurdish groups – shielded by explicit U.S. support, Turkey’s key NATO ally – are the real terrorism that must be eradicated. Fidan did not hesitate to state that if Damascus fails to eliminate these groups, Turkey will take matters into its own hands. This effectively signals that Syria is headed toward war in the north, regardless of the will of its people.
• Amid this backdrop, efforts are underway between northern Syria and Damascus to mediate political dialogue and exchange proposals on matters such as the constitution and the military. Yet Fidan dismisses these efforts outright, declaring he has no time for such discussions. For him, it is a simple ultimatum: lay down your arms, or war will ignite.
