Syrian–Turkish normalization

The Syrian–Turkish normalization referred to attempts to restore Syria–Turkey relations that had been damaged in the wake of the Syrian crisis. Turkey had been considered a friendly neighbor of Ba'athist Syria prior to the year 2011. Diplomatic ties between the two nations were severed as of 26 March 2012.

The initial explicit endeavor can be traced back to August 2022, when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu articulated the potential for restoring Turkish-Syrian ties to their former state. This was contingent upon the Syrian Ba'athist government offering assurances of positive neighborly interactions, including measures to safeguard borders and combat terrorism and separatist activities.

The Syrian government's position is that there will be no progress in the negotiations unless Turkey withdraws its forces from Syrian territory. The parties that sponsored the Turkish-Syrian reconciliation sought to convene a summit between the two nations' leaders. The opposition Syrian National Coalition neither supports nor opposes the initiative. In December 2022, a trilateral summit was held in Moscow between the defense ministers of Syria, Turkey, and Russia. On 7 July 2024, Turkish President Erdoğan stated that he could invite Assad to a meeting in Turkey at any time.

Analysts have indicated that the main obstacle to the completion of the Turkish-Syrian reconciliation process are Iran and ongoing Turkish occupation of the Syrian territory. In November–December 2024, Syrian government forces rapidly collapsed in the face of advances by opposition forces led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and supported by Turkish-backed rebel groups of the Syrian National Army. Concurrently, Erdoğan stated that Assad failed to understand the value of the hand extended by Turkey. After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Turkey was regarded as the biggest winner of the changing situation. Ankara quickly restored diplomatic relations with Damascus.