Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday met with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in İstanbul, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Erdoğan welcomed al-Sharaa with an official ceremony at the Dolmabahçe presidential office.
The meeting was attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın, head of Turkey’s Defense Industries Secretariat Haluk Görgün, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and several other officials.
Al-Sharaa, the leader of militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former affiliate of al-Qaeda, is leading Syria now after an alliance of rebel forces led by his HTS ousted president Bashar al-Assad on December 8 following an 11-day offensive.
This is al-Sharaa’s third visit to Turkey since assuming the presidency in Syria in January. He previously visited Turkey in February and April.
Saturday’s meeting was held behind closed doors. No further details were immediately available.
Al-Sharaa’s visit to Turkey comes after the United States lifted economic sanctions on Syria on Friday, marking a dramatic policy shift following the end of al-Assad’s regime and opening the door for new investment in the war-torn country.
Syria must “continue to work towards becoming a stable country that is at peace, and today’s actions will hopefully put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous and stable future,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
The move formalized a decision announced by President Donald Trump last week.