US lawmaker: Türkiye backs removal of Russian military bases from Syria

US Republican Congressman Joe Wilson stated that Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan informed him of Ankara’s support for the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Syria.

At a Helsinki Commission hearing, Wilson said that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani told him the Syrian people, who endured Russian airstrikes during the civil war, “will never be a friend of Moscow,” despite the Syrian government’s growing ties with Russia, Caliber.Az reports.

The congressman noted that Türkiye’s strengthened military presence in northern Syria naturally pressures Russian forces and contributes to their removal.

Wilson also expressed concern that Israel prefers a weak and divided Syria, emphasising that treating the expansion of Russian presence as a buffer against Türkiye could expose Israel to serious threats.

Russia established and expanded key military bases in Syria during its 2015 intervention to support the Assad government, securing long‑term leases at the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval facility to project power in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. 

These bases have been central to Moscow’s ability to influence regional security and logistics far beyond Syria’s borders, including operations in Africa and the wider Middle East.

The Syrian civil war drew in multiple external powers with differing goals; Turkey has deployed forces and established control in parts of northern Syria to counter Kurdish groups and secure its border, complicating Russian operations and alliances on the ground. 

Recent political shifts following the fall of Assad have put Russia’s bases under negotiation, with the new Syrian authorities debating their future, and Moscow exploring options to preserve its foothold while offering to repurpose bases for “humanitarian” purposes.

By Jeyhun Aghazada