Relations have improved since October 1998, when Öcalan was expelled by Damascus and Syria pledged to stop harbouring the PKK militants and the 1999 signing of the Adana agreement, following his subsequent capture in Kenya, envisaged security cooperation between the two countries.

As of early 2026, the relationship between Syria and Turkey remains complex and strained, characterized by a mix of tentative diplomatic overtures and lingering military tensions. Following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2025 and the establishment of an interim government in Damascus, Turkey has sought to secure its southern border while navigating the new political landscape. A major point of contention continues to be the presence of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast; Turkey views elements of the SDF as linked to the PKK (a proscribed group in Turkey) and has periodically threatened military action. However, 2026 has also seen integration agreements between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and the new central authorities. Diplomatic talks often focus on the voluntary return of millions of Syrian refugees currently in Turkey and the elimination of "terrorist corridors." While there is a shared interest in a stable, unified Syrian state, the path to full normalization is hindered by competing interests regarding border security and the final status of Kurdish-held territories.