Syria’s new leader, Turkey’s Erdogan pledge to work today in Ankara meet
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RDA Gulf Correspondent
- . February 6, 2025
- . Update: February 6, 2025 3:19 pm
Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s newly appointed president and Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan recently held discussions on deepening their security ties during a meeting in Ankara.
This was al-Sharaa’s second international trip since becoming Syria’s interim leader. Earlier, he met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
During the meeting, Al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group that toppled the administration of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive in December.
Addressing a news conference alongside al-Sharaa, Erdogan expressed Turkiye’s readiness to partner with Syria’s new leadership, particularly when it came to fighting the armed group ISIL (ISIS) and northeast Syria-based Kurdish fighters.
“I would like to express our satisfaction for the strong commitment my brother Ahmed al-Sharaa has shown in the fight against terrorism,” Erdogan said, as per reports.
“I told al-Sharaa we are ready to provide the necessary support to Syria in the fight against all kinds of terrorism, whether it be Daesh or the PKK,” he added.
The Syrian president also expressed that his government sought a “strategic partnership” with Turkey, inviting Erdogan to visit Syria “at the earliest opportunity.”
“We are working on building a strategic partnership with Turkiye to confront the security threats in the region to guarantee permanent security and stability to Syria and Turkiye,” al-Sharaa said.
He added that the two leaders discussed “threats that prevent territorial unity in northeastern Syria.”
The two leaders also discussed ways to strengthen economic ties between both nations in view of the efforts of Turkish transport and manufacturing firms to expand their businesses in Syria.
