Syria determines both the table and the field

Foreign News

While the three new commission members for the ‘process’ linked to Syria in Turkey's Parliament have been announced, the tension between the SDG and Damascus is affecting developments in both countries. The military balance on the ground will directly determine the distribution of power and balance at the diplomatic table.

EASTERN FRONT HEATING UP

The HTŞ administration in Damascus has sent large-scale military reinforcements to the front lines in the north-east of the country. As tensions rise again in the countryside around Haseke, Raqqa and Aleppo, the standoff between the Kurds and the Colani administration continues. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG) have announced that they will respond to any possible attack. Despite the efforts of US special envoy Tom Barrack, the SDG-HTŞ crisis remains unresolved, and there are claims that Turkey may support a possible attack by Damascus. Damascus claims that the SDG has violated the 10 March agreement and that the joint conference held on Friday in Hasakah with the participation of all Kurdish groups was a violation of the agreement. As the crisis continues, shipments to the east of the country have begun.

REJECTION OF THE PARIS SUMMIT

The decision by the Colani administration not to attend the summit planned for this month in the French capital Paris has taken the crisis to a new level. It was claimed that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's contacts with Damascus on Thursday were influential in the decision. The US and France had brought the parties together in Paris in recent weeks. According to Al-Monitor, Turkey also exerted pressure to postpone the Paris talks.

SDG UNCERTAINTY

The US plan envisages reconciliation between the Kurds and the Damascus administration and the integration of the SDG into the new Syrian army. However, the SDG and the Kurdish administration note that decentralisation has been excluded from Damascus's provisional constitution and that integration is not possible in this state of uncertainty. Murat Karayılan also said the previous day, ‘There is no constitution in Syria, there is no guarantee, so how can we lay down our arms in this equation?’ The US is seeking to strike a balance between Damascus and the Kurds. Turkey wants the SDF to lay down its arms and submit to the Damascus army.

A tripartite mechanism consisting of the MIT, the Kurdish administration and Baghdad has been established regarding the PKK's laying down of arms. The evacuation of the Mahmur Camp, which has existed since the 1990s, is also on the agenda. Tens of thousands of Kurds from Turkey live in the camp. Öcalan also stated in a letter he sent to those remaining in the Mahmur Camp, ‘I believe that our Mahmur people, who were the cornerstone of our struggle in the past, will also assume the same role and mission in the process of building peace and a democratic society.’ The Syrian arena forms the backbone of the interconnected process unfolding in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Developments in the Syrian arena will also determine the balance at the tables established in the three countries.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Masayı da sahayı da Suriye belirliyor, published in BirGün newspaper on August 12, 2025.