Syrians to use Turkish military barracks, attend military academies, Turkish ministry says

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ANKARA (Reuters) -Syrian soldiers will be allowed to use Turkish military barracks for training meant to boost Syria’s military capabilities, while 49 Syrian students will begin schooling at Turkish military academies from Friday onwards, Ankara said on Thursday.

NATO member Turkey has become Syria’s main foreign ally after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad late last year. It has vowed to aid the country’s rebuilding, restructure its state institutions, train its armed forces, and provide it with diplomatic and political support.

In August, the neighbouring countries signed an accord on military training and consultancy under which Ankara pledged to provide Damascus with weapons systems and logistical tools, as well as train the army in using such equipment and other areas.

At a briefing, the Turkish Defence Ministry said efforts to increase Syria’s military capacity continued under the accord, including training, bilateral visits, consultancy, and technical support.

“Certain units from the Syrian army have started military training in our country through the use of barracks and training grounds belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces,” the ministry said.

Separately, it said Turkey’s military academies – for land, air, and naval forces – will begin educating the 49 students on Friday as part of the cooperation agreement.

The students are expected to join the Syrian army after completing education.

Ankara and Damascus have for months been negotiating a more comprehensive military cooperation agreement. Turkey has said that the memorandum signed in August marks a first step towards this.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)