ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the issue of Trkiye-Syria normalization and the ongoing migrant crisis during a visit to the Editor's Desk at Anadolu headquarters in Ankara on Thursday. Fidan recalled President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's readiness to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, highlighting that discussions with the Assad regime have been ongoing in various formats, particularly through Russian and Iranian intermediaries. He explained that since 2017, the Astana Format and Trkiye's military agreements with Russia have resulted in a frozen conflict between the Syrian regime and the opposition, with no active hostilities but a prevailing silence. He emphasized that this period of calm provides an opportunity to take steps toward permanent resolutions, if all parties are willing to engage. Trkiye seeks a political framework that both the regime and the opposition can agree on, in accordance with UN resolutions. Fidan noted: 'When this is achieved, we will no longer have a p roblem.' Regarding normalization with Syria, the foreign minister stressed that certain issues must be addressed first, citing the large number of Syrian migrants abroad and the Assad regime's troubles with its own people and opposition, which have resulted in millions of migrants. Over three million Syrians have arrived in Trkiye, and an additional five million are living in areas of Syria outside regime control, with the support of Trkiye and its allies. 'Had we not established our presence in Syria, an additional five million people would have come to Trkiye,' he remarked. Fidan emphasized that Trkiye's presence in Syria aims to stabilize the situation for the large number of people who still feel unsafe under the regime. He argued that without a peace and security arrangement with the regime, it would be impossible to isolate Trkiye from additional migration concerns. He underlined Trkiye's firm stance on migrants and terrorism issues, noting, 'Our president's vision on these matters are exceedingly c lear. Our institutions, including the Armed Forces, National Intelligence Organization, and diplomacy, are extremely well-coordinated." He reiterated Trkiye's commitment to preventing further escalation, avoiding conflicts, and reducing migrants' flows, while continuing to fight terrorism. - US policy on Syria Fidan discussed US policy on Syria, highlighting how Washington often separates its demands from broader concerns. He noted that US sanctions, particularly those imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, prohibit any commercial relations with Syria, affecting the country's already struggling economy. He pointed out that US restrictions on trading with Syria, particularly for entities that work with US dollars and American companies, exacerbate Syria's economic problems. The foreign minister also drew attention to the fact that one-thirds of Syria is occupied by the PKK/YPG, a terrorist organization supported by the US, which controls regions rich in natural resources like oil. He bel ieved that if Trkiye's preferred solution to Syria was achieved, it would help to resolve other issues within Syria. - Trkiye, EU ties Fidan described the recent informal meeting of EU foreign ministers as a significant event, marking Trkiye's return to EU discussions after a long absence. He noted ongoing dialogues with key EU figures such as Josep Borrell and Oliver Varhelyi, emphasizing the importance of addressing Trkiye-EU relations and finding a way forward. He acknowledged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's renewed vision for EU relations, stressing that, despite various challenges, Trkiye's commitment to EU membership and collaboration remains steadfast. He highlighted that, while political will in the EU has shifted since 2008, Trkiye continues to demonstrate its commitment to the accession process and other bilateral issues. Despite the stagnation in membership negotiations, he also noted that Trkiye must continue to make progress in other areas such as trade, politics, and cultural exchanges wit h the EU. Fidan observed that recent geopolitical events, including the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Gaza war, have heightened the EU's geostrategic concerns, impacting its focus on Trkiye. "The European Union had fundamentally developed its resilience to economic issues remarkably, channeling its security and geostrategic concerns through America and relying on the protective umbrella provided by it. However, they have now realized that this is no longer sufficient, and that America's policy will not always be acceptable and embraced by their populations," he said. "The EU is fundamentally a structure of geographic continuity, which means that Trkiye, as part of Europe geographically, looks at many areas, including the Middle East, Asia, and the Caucasus. Now, you are also part of Europe, geographically. If you had been a member of the European Union in 2008-2009, I believe the UK would not have left the EU," he added. Fidan emphasized that if the UK and Trkiye had been members of the EU as strong act ors from the East and West, the EU would not have been dragged to the Atlantic side. He noted, "Trkiye would not be subject to different gravitational forces; the EU-Trkiye relationship, meaning everyone, could have created a stronger geostrategic center in their respective places." - EU states act like far-right in their treatment of Trkiye "European countries have acted as if they were under far-right rule in their relations with Trkiye. Therefore, if the far-right comes to power in the EU today, nothing will change for us," he said. Fidan discussed the EU's policy, noting, "The European Union has consistently created policy with the concern: 'What will happen if we advance Trkiye's EU membership and bring positive issues with Trkiye to the forefront in our relations?' We will lose ground to the far-right. So, let's not advance positive issues with Trkiye, let's roll them back." He pointed out that with this policy, the EU has lost a significant strategic advantage, saying, "You have lost your ability t o withstand such international crises. You have missed or delayed the opportunity to solidify a major alliance… 100%." "When you base street politics on marginalizing others and elevating yourself, and you follow a rapid growth strategy based on this, you may seem to gain something in the short term, but you are also destroying major strategic balances," he warned. - Global alliances Fidan said they assess all alternatives and options in the global market, which is distinguished by diversity, mobility, and dynamism. Regarding BRICS membership, the Turkish foreign minister said: 'If our economic integration with the EU had been crowned with membership, it would now be at the Customs Union level. However, if it had been further advanced to membership, we might not have been in such a search in many areas. "The EU has a mechanism… if economic and commercial cooperation does not produce the income needed by a member country, the bloc intervenes with funds related to infrastructure and other issues. It provid es hundreds of billions of euros." He underlined that they are a government elected by the people and accountable to them, saying, "The government must respond to the primary needs of the people while implementing its actions. For this, it designs its international relations accordingly. As I mentioned, while we try to maintain and advance our relations with the EU with goodwill, it is normal to look for other economic alternatives if there is a pause." Fidan described BRICS as a platform where institutionalization has not been significantly achieved since its establishment, but discussions have taken place, saying, "We are in a field where integrated elements like the EU's common currency, financing methods, models, investment, criteria, infrastructure, etc., are still not very developed." When asked if BRICS intends to create a model similar to the EU, Fidan replied, "We'll see once we get involved. That is the scope of our search. As previously mentioned, we are also extremely close to ASEAN. We are clo sely interested in ASEAN. Trkiye is currently part of other economic cooperation organizations, such as the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization and D8.' Source: Anadolu Agency