Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Shealah Craighead/White House
U.S. President Donald Trump with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017
(JNS) — The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that the United States and Turkey “share a vision for Syria,” a potentially troubling development for Israel, given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long-standing practice of denouncing the Jewish state.
The joint statement, which came after a meeting of the U.S.-Turkey Working Group on Syria, said both sides are “committed to increasing cooperation and coordination on stability and security in Syria.”
Jerusalem has expressed concern about the rise of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who leads a U.S.-sanctioned terror group and whom Washington has designated a terrorist.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that he intends to lift sanctions on Syria after meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh. They were initially placed on the regime of deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Trump credited Erdoğan, in part, for the U.S. policy shift, signaling the Turkish president’s growing influence in the region.
Erdoğan has long positioned military forces in Syria, battling U.S.-backed groups. He has also supported al-Sharaa’s rise.
The U.S and Turkish delegations “discussed shared priorities in Syria, including sanctions relief according to President Trump’s directive and combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” per the joint statement on Tuesday.
The two sides “share a vision for Syria that is stable and at peace with itself and its neighborhood, which will also allow millions of displaced Syrians to return home,” the two countries stated.
The statement also appeared to express concern about Israel’s military incursions into Syria to defend the Druze population, protect the joint border and attack terror targets, as well as allegations that Israel is aiding a Kurdish pursuit of control of some part of the country.
“The United States and Turkey recognize the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria,” the two countries stated. “A stable and united Syria, which does not offer a safe haven for terrorist organizations, will support regional security and prosperity.”
