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Syrian leader arrives in Turkey for talks with Erdogan

Sharaa and the Turkish leader will discuss joint steps to be taken for economic recovery, sustainable stability and security, according to Erdogan's communications chief

Published: Tue 4 Feb 2025, 6:55 PM

Updated: Tue 4 Feb 2025, 6:56 PM

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  • AFP

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A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on February 4, 2025, shows Syria's president Ahmed Al Sharaa (right) and interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani walking on the tarmac in Damascus ahead of boarding a flight to Turkey. — AFP

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on February 4, 2025, shows Syria's president Ahmed Al Sharaa (right) and interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani walking on the tarmac in Damascus ahead of boarding a flight to Turkey. — AFP

Syria's interim president, Ahmed Al Sharaa, arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his second international trip since ousting president Bashar Al Assad, an official told AFP.

Sharaa was to meet the Turkish leader in the capital Ankara after flying in from Saudi Arabia, where he was seeking help from wealthy Gulf countries to finance the reconstruction of his war-ravaged nation and revive its economy.

Turkey, which has close ties with Sharaa, reopened its diplomatic mission in Syria and sent its spy chief and foreign minister for talks with him soon after his Islamist-rooted HTS rebels overthrew Assad on December 8.

The pair will discuss "joint steps to be taken for economic recovery, sustainable stability and security", Erdogan's communications chief Fahrettin Altun said on Monday.

Despite being constrained by its own economic crisis, Turkey is offering to help with Syria's recovery after a devastating 13-year civil war.

In return, Turkey is keen to secure Damascus's support against Kurdish militants in northeastern Syria, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been battling Ankara-backed forces.



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