Turkey-Syria relations: between enmity and amity

In 1997 Turkey and Syria were on the brink of war, engaged in a very real power struggle.

Turkey was aligned with Syria's main enemy, Israel, and there were seemingly intractable differences on the issues of borders, the sharing of river waters and trans-border communities.

In less than a decade, relations were transformed from enmity to amity.

Border issues and water sharing quarrels were moving towards amicable settlement and the two states' policies toward the Kurdish issue converging.

Turkey undertook to mediate the Syrian-Israeli conflict and close political and economic relations were developing rapidly between the two states.

Yet, with the Syrian Uprising, relations returned to enmity.