Meeting between the Assad regime, Russian, and Turkish officials set a dangerous precedent of normalization
The American Coalition for Syria (ACS) was deeply troubled to hear that on Wednesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met with his Assad regime counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting hosted by Russian defense chief Sergei Shoigu in Moscow. This is the first official high-level meeting between the two countries since 2011. The American Coalition for Syria urges the Turkish government to remember Assad’s crimes against humanity before considering any further meetings with the Assad regime.
The Syrian and Syrian American communities have a long history of friendship with Türkiye, and we are eternally grateful for the generosity the Turkish people have shown towards the 4 million Syrian refugees that they have hosted over the last decade. We empathize with Türkiye’s current economic and security challenges. However, refugees are not political pawns, and Türkiye must continue to protect Syrian refugees’ right to a safe and voluntary return. After years of war crimes against the Syrian people and enabling the conditions for terrorism to flourish, the regime cannot be trusted to be a credible partner in any joint security or counter-terrorism efforts
Dr. Mahmoud Barazi, President of ACS
The international community has failed to uphold its responsibilities to find a peaceful political transition for the Syrian people. ACS urges both the U.S. and Turkish governments to work towards a political solution to the conflict in Syria in accordance with United Nations Security Resolution 2254.
