Turkey is reportedly considering building a new military base in Syria in order to train the Syrian army, following a request from interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
Sources from Ankara's ministry of defence said the request came after a meeting in Jordan on 9 March attended by officials from Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and the host country itself, where discussions on the situation in Syria took place.
A press release, cited by the Anadolu agency, said: "In line with the announcement of the new Syrian government and in agreement with the concerned countries, a consensus has been reached on establishing a joint operations centre."
It also added that "preserving Syria's territorial integrity, extending state authority by the new government throughout the country, and establishing stability and security are of great importance to Ankara".
"Turkey continues to study the establishment of a training base in line with the requirements of the new government and to enhance the capabilities of the Syrian army."
Turkey already has a heavy military presence in Syria, backing the Syrian National Army (SNA) both financially and militarily. The SNA has been engaged in battle with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the country’s north over the months, following the launch of "Operation Dawn of Freedom".
Turkey has also backed the new Syrian government, offering to assist in its recovery and has already established economic and defence ties with Al-Sharaa’s government.
Ankara, a regional power, possess numerous interests concerning Syria. Among them is the return of Syrian refugees who had fled to Turkey during the civil war, as well as its aim to quash the SDF due to its ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkey has also pledged to assist Syria in rebuilding its transportation and communication infrastructure, according to the Syrian official news agency SANA, and Turkish state media.
Syria is currently undergoing a transitional period following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December last year by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) rebels, led by Al-Sharaa.
He then appointed a three-month-long interim government, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, before being named as interim president shortly after. Sharaa has vowed to reconstruct and rebuild Syria, plagued by over 13 years of civil war.
Al-Sharaa, however, is facing obstacles in Syria's road to recovery. The country's coastal region was plagued by violence following clashes between security forces and members of the Alawite community, in what was described as the worst bout of violence in the post-Assad Syria.
Al-Sharaa is also seeking to lift western-imposed sanctions off the country, in a bid to ease its economic recovery.
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