Syrian President Ahmed eş-Şara spoke about his country’s future, regional relations and foreign military presence at an Atlantic Council discussion in New York held on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly. He said Türkiye’s military presence in northwestern Syria had decreased and that work was continuing on the legal status of the remaining forces. He said Syria “will not need foreign military bases in the near future.”
Addressing Donald Trump, who recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which the UN considers Syrian territory, Şara said, “Why don’t you give New Jersey to the Israelis? You do not have a Golan Heights to give them, but New Jersey is yours.” He said talks with Israel had been ongoing for approximately a year and that Damascus wanted Israel to withdraw to the 1974 lines.
Şara said he considered the cultural and language rights of Kurds legitimate and that a mechanism for education in Kurdish was being prepared under Decree No. 13. He emphasized that the integration of SDG concerned a specific armed group, not Kurdish society.
Why it matters
Şara’s statements show that Damascus is seeking to redefine the security order through the presence of foreign troops, the border issue with Israel and the future of armed structures inside the country. For Türkiye, the critical issue is not so much the reduction in the military presence on the ground as the legal framework under which the remaining forces will be retained and how this will affect bilateral relations. Contacts with Israel, meanwhile, show that beyond the debate over the Golan Heights, the on-the-ground meaning of the 1974 lines and the parties’ positions on withdrawal have yet to be resolved. In the Kurdish issue, treating the recognition of cultural rights and the integration of SDG as separate topics leaves open questions about how the education arrangement will be implemented and how the future of the armed structure will be determined.