Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, visited Ankara on Feb. 4, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top Turkish officials.
Al-Sharaa also invited Erdogan to visit Syria, which shares a 565-mile border with Turkey, at the latter’s earliest convenience.
Erdogan stressed Ankara’s readiness to assist Syria’s new leadership against Kurdish militant groups based in the region and ISIS.
Along with being Syria’s de facto leader, al-Sharaa, formerly known as Mohamed al-Golani, also leads teh Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group.
Late last year, HTS, an ideological offshoot of al-Qaeda, spearheaded a lightning offensive that toppled the long-ruling regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The offensive was supported by Turkey, which had long backed armed rebel factions—including HTS—against Assad and his regime in Damascus.
Speaking alongside al-Sharaa, Erdogan said Turkey would continue to push for the lifting of international sanctions that were imposed on Syria during Assad’s rule.
He also urged Arab and Muslim countries to support Syria’s post-Assad regime, financially and otherwise, during its current transitional phase.
“We never abandoned our Syrian sisters and brothers in their hardest times, and we will continue to support them in this new period,” he said.
“All of our institutions have been working tirelessly to rebuild our relationship to a strategic level.”
Erdogan stressed his country’s commitment to ensuring Syria’s territorial unity and integrity.
It remains unclear what the two leaders discussed behind closed doors.
But a day before al-Sharaa’s visit, a Turkish presidential spokesman said they would likely discuss developments on the ground in Syria and joint measures aimed at rebuilding Syria’s battered economy and ensuring security.
Charm Offensive
Last week, rebel commanders met in Damascus, where al-Sharaa was named Syria’s interim president for an unspecified “transitional phase.”A declaration issued after the meeting said al-Sharaa would “carry out the duties of the presidency … and represent [Syria] in international forums.”
The meeting also dissolved Syria’s parliament, abrogated its Assad-era constitution, and empowered al-Sharaa to form a temporary legislative council.
Al-Sharaa’s visit to Turkey this week was his second trip abroad since assuming the title of Syria’s interim leader.
On Feb. 2, al-Sharaa visited Riyadh, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who congratulated him on his assumption of the presidency.
In a statement released after the visit, al-Sharaa, who was born in Saudi Arabia, said he and bin Salman had discussed humanitarian and economic cooperation.
Moscow, meanwhile, which had backed the ousted Assad regime, is also in talks with Damascus over the fate of two military bases that it maintains in northwestern Syria.
Last week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov led a delegation to the Syrian capital to discuss the issue with the country’s new leadership.
After the talks, Syria’s interim administration said that “restoring relations [with Russia] must address past mistakes, respect the will of the Syrian people, and serve their interests.”
Russia’s foreign ministry said the two sides had engaged in a “frank discussion of the entire range of issues.”
Without referring specifically to the Russian bases, the ministry said that further talks would be held with a view to reaching “relevant agreements.”
