ISTANBUL (AFP) – Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Ankara yesterday for talks with Turkiye’s leaders on rebuilding his land and the volatile issue of Kurdish fighters near the countries’ border.
Sharaa arrived mid-afternoon, flying in from Saudi Arabia where he made his first international visit since his rebels overthrew Syria’s longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad on December 8.
The move left Syria – which shares a 900-kilometre border with Turkiye – facing a fragile transition involving multiple territorial and governance challenges.
Working to keep balanced regional ties following his trip to Saudi Arabia, Sharaa will now look to draw on a strategic relationship he has built up with Ankara over the years.
Yesterday’s visit, which came “at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan”, saw Sharaa hosted at the presidential palace, the Turkish leader’s office said. The pair discussed the “joint steps to be taken for economic recovery, sustainable stability and security,” Erdogan’s communications chief Fahrettin Altun wrote on X.
Turkiye is offering to help with Syria’s recovery after a devastating 13-year civil war.
