'Our relations with Türkiye will be excellent' — Syrian defence minister

Murhaf Abu Qasra, the defence minister of Syria's new administration, has said that the administration’s relations with Türkiye will be “excellent.”

Stating they will hold talks with Eastern and Western countries on equipping the national army, Abu Qasra told reporters in the capital Damascus on Wednesday that they continue to discuss the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria with Turkish officials.

Regarding the terror group PKK/YPG, he said that the terror organisation "must dissolve itself before the National Dialogue Conference."

When asked about the PKK/YPG terrorist group's position on the issue of armed groups dissolving themselves and gathering under the roof of the Ministry of Defence, Abu Qasra stated: “Negotiations are ongoing. We are ready for any scenario.”

Recalling the PKK/YPG terrorists' claim that "there are 10,000 Daesh fighters" in their prisons, Abu Qasra said that they estimate the correct number to be 2,500.

Return of officers who left the army

Abu Qasra said that meetings were held with over 70 different groups, including the Syrian National Army (SNA), military factions in southern Syria and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) based in al Tanf.

“Everyone was positive about our vision of uniting under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defence,” Abu Qasra said, underlining that they do not deem it appropriate for the military groups to act in separate blocs.

He noted that a committee of 10 high-ranking commanders has been formed in the ministry and will review the army's chart, adding that the transfer of commanders who left the Syrian army in the past will be completed within two months.

“The number of commanders who left the army in northwestern Syria, commanders who left the army at the beginning of 2011 and worked with opposition groups, and officers abroad is 6,400 to 7,000,” Abu Qasra said.

He also expressed their desire to purchase mine disposal machinery and equipment from Türkiye to clear the mines left behind by the ousted Assad regime forces in Syria.

“In order to repair the gap between society and the army, the army's duty will be to protect the homeland and the people.

"The Ministry of Defence is not an institution belonging to one side, it belongs to Syrians," he highlighted.

Abu Qasra added that the new administration has a great capacity to cope with the Daesh terrorist group.