Istanbul ( Europe Brief News): Syrian transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Turkish President Erdogan in Istanbul today, marking a key diplomatic move amid regional tensions.
Erdogan said he was pleased that Western sanctions against Syria were being lifted, according to Al-Sharaa. One of the main pillars of the rebel organizations that overthrew Assad in Syria is Turkey.
In recent weeks, Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has been widely visible on the global scene. He spoke with US President Donald Trump while he was in Saudi Arabia ten days ago. The US and Syrian chiefs of state shook hands 25 years ago, making this a historic meeting.
Trump had declared the previous day that the United States will remove its sanctions against Syria.
Following that pledge, the US Treasury Department took the first step yesterday, reopening transactions with the Syrian central bank, state-owned enterprises, and the country’s interim government. Other punishments were also waived for 180 days.
The European Union also declared last week that it would remove all sanctions against Syriainresponse to Trump’s pledge.
A key figure in the new Syrian government, Turkish President Erdogan, said he was pleased with their decisions in Istanbul. Following the meeting, the administration released a statement announcing this.
The Turkish intelligence services, as well as the foreign and defense ministers, attended the two-hour event.
Following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, Erdogan has long argued for the relaxation of sanctions. He also attended the meeting between Trump and Al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, albeit digitally.
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The details of the two presidents’ talk have not been made public. It might have also included the deal reached earlier this year between the Syrian government and the country’s Kurds. It was decided that the SDF, a Kurdish-led force, would join the Syrian army, among other things.
A significant portion of the SDF, the YPG militia, is regarded by Turkey as a terrorist group and an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Turkish intelligence services had previously discussed the YPG with Al-Sharaa earlier this week. Turkey wants the militia to surrender and enlist in the Syrian military.
The PKK has said in recent weeks that it will disband and cease its 40-year military conflict with the Turkish army.
A delegation from the Syrian transitional administration also made its first visit to the Al-Hol prison camp in northern Syria today, which houses IS fighters along with their spouses and kids.
The Kurds protected a number of IS fighters’ and their families’ camps following the collapse of the caliphate that IS had proclaimed. The arrested IS fighters would fall under the jurisdiction of Damascus’s new transitional government.
What was the significance of Al-Sharaa’s visit to Erdogan in Turkey?
The visit reaffirmed Turkey’s position as al-Sharaa’s government’s main backer after he ousted Bashar al-Assad.
Ankara’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and strategic collaboration across industries including energy, defense, and transportation is demonstrated by Erdogan’s backing, which is essential for Syria’s political stabilization and reconstruction efforts.
Both Erdogan and al-Sharaa praised the U.S. and European Union’s decision to relax long-standing sanctions on Syria, which coincided with the meeting. In order to help Syria recover from more than ten years of civil conflict and economic suffering, Turkey contributed to the push for sanctions.
Erdogan underlined how crucial it is to preserve Syria’s governance and territorial integrity under a single national authority. Regional crises, such as Israeli military operations within Syria, were also discussed.
