Syria and neighbors to expand security pact at Turkiye summit

Shafaq News/ Turkiye will host a second meeting of the four-nation alliance—comprising Iraq, Turkiye, Jordan, and Syria—next month to advance discussions, a source told Shafaq News on Monday.

The source said that foreign and defense ministers, military chiefs, and intelligence officials from the four countries agreed to convene in April to build on the first official meeting held Sunday in Jordan, which focused on security coordination, intelligence-sharing, and countering ISIS and its offshoots in Syria and the broader region.

The Jordan-hosted summit brought together high-level officials, including Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Defense Minister Thabit Al-Abbasi, and Intelligence Chief Hamid Al-Shatri; Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin; Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra, and Intelligence Chief Anas Khattab; Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, Defense Minister Michel Menassa, and Intelligence Director Antoine Kahwaji.

During the talks, participants agreed to strengthen military and security coordination against terrorism and establish a joint operations center focused on counterterrorism, particularly targeting ISIS.

The alliance also committed to combating drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and organized crime, while addressing regional stability, Syria’s reconstruction, and calls to lift sanctions on Damascus. Additionally, the nations emphasized the importance of coordinating with the United Nations to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees from Iraq and Turkiye.