The Syrian government delegation, led by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, walked out of the Arab League Council meeting in Cairo when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s speech was announced.
Fidan attended the Arab League meetings after a 13-year absence, following Turkey’s disagreements with several Arab countries. According to the Saudi news channel Al-Hadath, the Syrian delegation exited the room as Fidan’s speech, which focused on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, began. They returned once his speech concluded.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mekdad reiterated the need for Turkey to withdraw from northern Syria and Iraq to advance normalization efforts and restore relations. In an interview with the Russian news channel Russia Today, he stated, “If Turkey seeks to take new steps in Syrian-Turkish cooperation and restore normal relations, it must withdraw from the Arab lands it occupies in northern Syria and western Iraq.”
The normalization process between Turkey and Syria, which began in December 2022 under Russian mediation, has since stalled. The primary issue remains Damascus’ demand for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory, a condition Ankara continues to reject.
The 162nd ordinary session of the Arab League Council began this afternoon at its headquarters in Cairo, with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in attendance.
The meeting’s agenda included discussions on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, Israeli attacks in Syria, Arab water security, the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis, the war in Sudan, and the conflicts in Yemen and Libya.
In his speech, Borrell highlighted the European Union’s efforts to “alleviate the human suffering of civilians in Gaza, the catastrophic humanitarian situation there, and the mechanisms for delivering aid amidst Israel’s control over the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
