The Syrian delegation walked out of the Arab League summit in Cairo when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s speech was announced, the Al Arabiya news website reported.
Led by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the delegation left the meeting room and only returned after Fidan had finished his remarks. The incident occurred during the 162nd session of the Arab League’s Council of Foreign Ministers, marking Turkey’s first participation in 13 years.
#Syria's delegation at today's #ArabLeague Summit in #Cairo marched out the room when #Turkey's FM Fidan began speaking & returned once he was done.
So much for the "huge" development being touted by some just hours earlier — as if normalization was imminent. pic.twitter.com/YzoJsbmq2z
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) September 10, 2024
Fidan’s speech focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank as well as regional security issues. His attendance follows recent efforts by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to strengthen relations with Arab states, including Syria, after years of strained ties.
Despite the walkout, diplomatic sources said Syria did not object to Turkey’s participation during the invitation process.
Erdoğan — who had supported rebel efforts to topple Syria’s Bashar al-Assad — has in recent months sought rapprochement with Damascus, inviting Assad to Turkey.
Assad has recently said the withdrawal of Turkish forces from its territory was not a prerequisite for rapprochement.
The Kurdish-led SDF spearheaded the battle that dislodged Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group jihadists from their last scraps of Syrian territory in 2019. The Kurds have established a semi-autonomous administration spanning swaths of the north and northeast.
Syria’s war began after the suppression of anti-government protests in 2011 and has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.
Turkey hosts some 3.2 million Syrian refugees out of a population of 85 million, according to United Nations data. Their fate has been a political hot potato, with some opponents of Erdoğan promising to send them back to Syria.