Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye is close to resolving its long-running dispute with the United States over sanctions imposed following Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, signaling a possible thaw in strained bilateral relations.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, Fidan said talks with Washington were making steady progress and expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached. “I believe we’ll soon find a way to remove that obstacle,” he said, referring to the sanctions imposed in 2020 under the US Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which have affected defense cooperation and broader diplomatic ties between the two NATO allies.

Gaza: Ceasefire ‘Must Move Forward’

Turning to the war in Gaza, Fidan warned that failure to advance to the next phase of the US-backed ceasefire framework would represent a “huge failure” for both the international community and Washington, noting that President Donald Trump had personally driven the initiative.

He stated that Hamas could only be expected to disarm if a credible Palestinian civil administration and a properly structured Palestinian police force were first established in Gaza. Fidan said Hamas had indicated willingness to transfer governing authority over the territory under such conditions.

“First of all, we need to see that the Palestinian committee of technical people are taking over the administration of Gaza, then we need to see that the police force is being formed to police Gaza – again, by the Palestinians, not Hamas,” he said.

Fidan added that talks were continuing on the next phase of the US-backed plan to end the nearly two-year war. He said Gaza’s police force would operate with the support of a planned international stabilization force, and that Ankara was seeking to participate in that mission. According to Fidan, the United States is pressing Israel on Türkiye’s request to join, and Türkiye is prepared to deploy troops if required.

Syria: ‘There Can Be Only One Army’

On Syria, Fidan addressed the agreement reached in March to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into Syria’s state institutions. He said recent signals from the SDF suggested it had no intention of fully implementing the deal and was attempting to bypass it.

“They should understand that the command and control should come from one place. There can be no two armies in any given country,” Fidan said, underlining that Syria should have a single, unified military command structure, while allowing room for local administrative arrangements.

Nearly a year after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, Fidan said questions relating to minority rights remained unresolved. He stressed that Türkiye’s backing of Syria’s new leadership was not unconditional and did not amount to a “blank cheque” for repression.

He said Damascus was taking steps toward national unity but argued that Israeli military actions in Syria were the primary destabilizing factor. Israel has conducted repeated airstrikes in southwestern Syria, claiming the attacks target militant threats and aim to protect the Druze population near the border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said he expected Syria to establish a demilitarized buffer zone from Damascus to the border.

Russia–Ukraine War

On the war in Ukraine, Fidan said the original 28-point US proposal for ending the conflict should be seen as a starting framework rather than a final plan. He noted that the initiative is now evolving into a different format and said US-led mediation efforts were moving “on the right path.”

Fidan’s remarks underscored Türkiye’s attempt to position itself as a central diplomatic actor, balancing its relations with Washington, Moscow and regional powers while seeking a more active role in shaping post-war arrangements in Gaza and Syria, as well as contributing to efforts to bring an end to the Russia–Ukraine conflict. (ILKHA)