A high-level Syrian delegation led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, the defence minister and the head of intelligence held talks in Ankara on Wednesday with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, marking a rare public meeting between the two governments. At a joint news conference, Fidan accused Israel of trying to destabilise Syria and said outside interference had slowed efforts to restore order in the country. He reiterated that Turkey would ‘have no choice but to take action’ if its security concerns were not addressed, pointing to the continued presence of PKK-linked YPG fighters and foreign combatants in northern Syria. Fidan added that Ankara wanted all ethnic and religious groups integrated into a single Syrian state and urged international partners to give Damascus the support needed to rebuild. He acknowledged ‘progress on several files’ under the Syrian government but warned that Kurdish forces must stop posing a threat to Turkey and cooperate with Damascus. Shaibani said Syria’s stability was essential for the wider region, charging that Israel had fabricated recent unrest in the mainly Druze governorate of Suwayda and was violating Syrian sovereignty. He pledged accountability for those responsible for violence there, stressed that Druze communities were an ‘integral part of the Syrian people,’ and extended an offer of cooperation to all states that respect Syria’s internal affairs.