Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday to discuss a potential joint defense pact, including the establishment of Turkish airbases in central Syria and the training of Syria’s newly-formed national army.
The meeting marks the first high-level diplomatic engagement between the two leaders since al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
#BREAKING: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Ankara. pic.twitter.com/FXEdSuPrvo
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) February 4, 2025
The trip to Turkey follows Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, marking his first foreign trip since assuming power. Sources told The Times of Israel that the deal between Turkey and Syria is unlikely to be finalized today.
According to several news outlets, at a joint press conference after their meeting at the presidential palace, Al-Sharaa announced that Turkey and Syria were developing a “joint strategy” to address security threats facing both nations.
The Syrian leader emphasized the importance of building a “deep, strategic relationship” with Turkey, one that would enhance regional security and facilitate Syria’s reconstruction efforts.
Turkey was a major supporter of groups opposing al-Assad during the 13-year civil war, making it a key ally of the new administration. With a 910-kilometer border with Syria, Turkey has also hosted the largest number of Syrian refugees since the war began in 2011, peaking at over 3.8 million in 2022.
Al-Sharaa expressed gratitude to Turkey for their support and their role in hosting more than three million Syrian refugees: “The Syrian people will not forget Turkey’s support for them,” he said.
According to Al-Sharaa, Syria and Turkey also discussed in the meeting the need for international pressure on Israel to withdraw from the buffer zone in southern Syria and implement the 1974 agreement.
Erdogan, speaking alongside al-Sharaa, affirmed Turkiye’s readiness to collaborate with Syria’s new leadership, particularly in combating the armed group ISIL (ISIS) and Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria.
“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.
“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 (Kurdistan Workers’ Party),” he added.
Turkey, which shares a border with Syria, regards several Syrian Kurdish groups near its southern boundary as “terrorists,” including the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which it alleges is affiliated with the outlawed PKK.
The commander of the Kurdish-led SDF, Mazloum Abdi, earlier said that the group will not disband or surrender its weapons but is open to negotiations for incorporation into Syria’s future military structure.
