Syrian–Turkish normalization

The Syrian–Turkish normalization referred to efforts to restore relations between Syria and Turkey following the deterioration caused by the Syrian civil war. Prior to 2011, Turkey was generally regarded as a friendly neighbor of Ba'athist Syria. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally severed on 26 March 2012.

Regime media, loyalists, and observers asserted that tents were already pitched in April 2011, a few weeks after the start of the crisis. Throughout the years of fighting, the regime demanded that Turkey close its borders to fighters and stop supporting them, which would speed up the ending of the war.

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 was that no progress would be made in the negotiations unless Turkey was prepared to withdraw 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 Turkish support for rebel groups and 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.