Israel and Turkey held technical talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday, April 10, to de-escalate the ongoing tensions between the two nations in Syria. This was revealed by an Israeli political source to the Israeli daily Haaretz, reporting specifically that Tel Aviv and Ankara are engaged in technical discussions to establish a collision prevention mechanism on Syrian soil, similar to the existing agreement with Russia. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that these talks are essential, as operations in Syria require a system to prevent conflicts, given the ongoing Israeli air operations in the region. Fidan clarified that these discussions are focused solely on preventing clashes and do not indicate any normalization of relations between the two nations.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister said Ankara is holding technical talks with Israel on de-escalation in Syria, hours after Turkish media, citing the Defense Ministry, denied such talks. “While we are conducting some operations in Syria, there needs to be a mechanism to avoid conflicts with Israel, which operates aircraft in that region, similar to the mechanisms we have with the United States and Russia,” Fidan told CNN Turk on Wednesday, April 9. He added that technical communications are in place to avoid misunderstandings between the fighting elements, adding that technical teams communicate with each other “when necessary.” He stressed that the technical talks with Israel are only aimed at de-escalating the conflict in Syria, not normalizing relations between the two nations. Fidan also said that Turkey does not intend to enter into conflict with any other country in Syria, not just Israel. The first part of the talks was held the previous day in the Syrian capital Damascus. The Turkish Defense Ministry reported this, specifying that a meeting between Turkish and Israeli representatives was held, during which mechanisms to prevent clashes in Syria were discussed; “these meetings will continue in the coming days,” the Defense Ministry added.
During the talks in Baku, Turkey informed Israel that it was present in Syria only at the request of Damascus to strengthen the defense capabilities of the new Syrian army and support it in the fight against terrorism. The Israelis, for their part, said they had made it clear to Turkey that changing the current distribution of foreign forces in Syria, especially the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra region, is considered a “red line” and that the responsibility to prevent any threat to Israel from Syria falls on the new government in Damascus. Ankara responded by calling on Tel Aviv to immediately stop its continuous “provocative” attacks aimed at undermining the territorial integrity of Syria and destabilizing its security and stability, including in the region. Thus, the first round of Turkey-Israel talks in Azerbaijan on the Syria issue ended without any agreement, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported. However, both sides agreed to a second round of negotiations to be held on April 19, again in Baku, Azerbaijan, local sources said.
In parallel to the meeting, on the evening of April 10, a large military convoy from Turkey was recorded passing through Syria, containing an arsenal of T-155 howitzers, ACV vehicles and logistics vehicles. Turkey is quietly preparing to establish bases agreed with the government in Damascus. In fact, the other base handed over to the Turkish army by the Syrian government is near Menagh airport, north of Aleppo, where, according to local sources, Turkish drones and helicopters will be deployed with some special forces.
Despite the failure of the first round of talks, both nations see the potential for diplomatic engagement to promote multilateral management of the Syrian dossier. It remains to be seen whether this vision can translate into a lasting balance or whether it will be only a fragile temporary compromise. Meanwhile, Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa arrived in Turkey on the morning of April 11 – accompanied by Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani and his wife Latifa al-Droubi, the Syrian news agency SANA reports – to participate in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum 2025 on the theme “Joining Diplomacy in a Divided World”.
Cristina Uccello
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