Turkey’s foreign minister was cut off mid-answer at a joint press conference in Damascus on Monday, a moment that spread fast online on Tuesday and triggered claims of a diplomatic snub by Syria’s new leadership.
The incident occurred during Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s first public appearance in Damascus with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani after a high-level Turkish delegation met with Syria’s interim leadership.
Fidan is a former intelligence chief who now runs Turkish diplomacy and often speaks for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on regional issues.
Chaos at Turkish Foreign Minister Conference as Palestine Mention Sparks Outrage
During a high-profile conference with the Turkish Foreign Minister, the moment Palestine was mentioned, the event came to an abrupt halt—shocking attendees. The interruption came from one of the… pic.twitter.com/0hR41RpVD9
— ME24 – Middle East 24 (@MiddleEast_24) December 23, 2025
Video from the briefing shows Fidan answering a question about Gaza when an Arabic announcement over the hall’s sound system declared the press conference over, and his microphone appeared to go silent as he paused and looked toward the stage.
Fidan continued for several seconds after his mic stopped working, then ended without a visible protest and posed for the customary closing photo with al-Shibani.
The footage circulated widely on social media on Tuesday, with many users framing the moment as a humiliating break in protocol.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli said the interpreter’s audio did not reach attendees’ headsets while Fidan was answering the Gaza question, leading the Syrian official moderating the session to believe Fidan had finished and to end the briefing early.
Keçeli said the Syrian side apologized to the Turkish delegation for what he described as a technical problem.
The interruption drew attention because it came as Turkey tries to shape security and political outcomes in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad last year.
The question that Fidan was answering when the announcement cut in was described by Turkish and foreign outlets as focused on Gaza, including a meeting in Miami and Turkey’s possible role in a proposed post-conflict mechanism.
Even with Ankara’s explanation, the optics fed speculation in Turkey and in regional commentary about whether the interruption was a deliberate snub.
Some observers interpreted the moment as a signal from Damascus that Syria’s new leadership will not let Turkey dominate the room, especially at a time when Ankara is pressing Syria on Kurdish forces that control the country’s northeast.
A second theory held that the interruption looked like Syrian organizers seeking to avoid extended remarks on Gaza during a Syria-focused appearance.
Syria has been calibrating its message toward Israel since the regime change in December 2024, after which Israel attacked the country’s military infrastructure while seizing territory in the south.
Despite repeated Israeli strikes, including one hitting the heart of Damascus, where the presidential palace is located, on live TV, the new Syrian government pragmatically avoids confrontation with Israel, even rhetorically.
Other commentary in Turkish social media and some Turkish outlets focused on the “disrespect” rather than a specific policy motive for the interruption, with a general undertone of resentment about Turkey’s role and sacrifices in Syria.