ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey will provide weapons systems and logistical tools to Syria under a military cooperation accord signed on Wednesday, a Turkish Defence Ministry source said, adding that Ankara would also train the Syrian army in using such equipment if needed.
Turkey, a NATO member, has been one of Syria’s main foreign allies since the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last year. It has vowed to help train and restructure Syria’s armed forces, rebuild the country and its state institutions, and support efforts to protect Syrian territorial integrity.
In a first step towards a comprehensive military cooperation accord that they have been negotiating for months, Turkey and Syria inked a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday after extensive meetings between their foreign and defence ministers, and intelligence chiefs.
“The memorandum aims to coordinate, plan military training and cooperation, provide consultancy, information and experience sharing, ensure the procurement of military equipment, weapon systems, logistical materials and related services,” the Turkish Defence Ministry source told reporters on Thursday.
Turkey has been growing impatient with what it calls the lack of implementation of a March deal between Damascus and the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces for integrating the SDF into the Syrian state apparatus.
Ankara has warned of military action against the SDF, which it considers a terrorist organisation and against which it has carried out cross-border operations in the past.
It has said that clashes between the SDF and Syrian government forces earlier this month and a conference held by the SDF calling for a review of Syria’s constitutional declaration threatened the country’s territorial integrity.
The Turkish source said the SDF had not met any of the conditions of the March deal and reiterated Ankara’s accusation that its actions were undermining Syria’s political unity.
“Our expectation is full compliance with the agreement that was signed and its urgent implementation in the field,” the source added.
(Reporting by Tuvan GumrukcuEditing by Ece Toksabay and Gareth Jones)
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