Damascus ready to cooperate with Ankara if it withdraws from Syria

The Syrian government says it could cooperate with Turkey if it stops violating the Adana Agreement and withdraws from Syria, pro-government news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

According to a Syrian Foreign Ministry official, since 2011, Turkey has violated the Adana Agreement with its support for terrorism “through financing, training, and facilitating the passage of terrorists into Syria.”

In 1998, Turkey and Syria signed the Adana Agreement, which allows Turkey to enter five kilometers deep into Syrian territory if Turkish security is threatened.

The Adana agreement came after years of water disputes between the two countries, and Damascus’ hosting of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan.

After the agreement, Ocalan was expelled in October 1998 before he was captured one year later in Kenya. Until now, Ocalan is imprisoned in Turkey.

For years, Turkey has supported armed rebel groups who have fought against the Syrian regime.

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