Turkey will provide weapons systems and logistical tools to Syria under a military cooperation accord signed on Wednesday, a Turkish Defense Ministry source said, adding that Ankara would also train the Syrian army in using such equipment if needed, Reuters reported.
Turkey, a NATO member, has been one of Syria’s main foreign allies since the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last year. It has vowed to help train and restructure Syria’s armed forces, rebuild the country and its state institutions and support efforts to protect Syrian territorial integrity.
In a first step towards a comprehensive military cooperation accord that they have been negotiating for months, Turkey and Syria inked a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday after extensive meetings between their foreign and defense ministers and intelligence chiefs.
“The memorandum aims to coordinate, plan military training and cooperation, provide consultancy, information and experience sharing, ensure the procurement of military equipment, weapons systems, logistical materials and related services,” the Turkish Defense Ministry source told reporters on Thursday.
Turkey has previously engaged in similar arrangements with Somalia, Libya and Azerbaijan, where joint military bases were established, advisors were deployed and personnel received training both locally and in Turkey. Experts note that these past cases often led to long-term military partnerships, suggesting that the Syria agreement could follow a similar trajectory.
Turkey has been growing impatient with what it calls the lack of implementation of a March deal between Damascus and the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces for integrating the SDF into the Syrian state apparatus.
Ankara has warned of military action against the SDF, which it considers a terrorist organization and against which it has carried out cross-border operations in the past.