President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with President Ahmad Al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic at Dolmabahçe Presidential Office in Istanbul.
During the meeting, bilateral relations between Türkiye and Syria, as well as regional and global developments, were discussed.
President Erdoğan expressed his belief that much brighter and more peaceful days await Syria and reaffirmed that Türkiye, as it has done so far, will continue to stand by Syria in the future.
President Erdoğan, in welcoming Al-Sharaa on his first visit to Türkiye following the decision by the United States and the European Union to lift sanctions on Syria, expressed Türkiye's satisfaction with the initial steps taken toward lifting the sanctions and underscored the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and ensuring unified governance of the country and its armed forces from a central authority.
President Erdoğan also underlined that Israel’s occupation and aggression on Syrian territory are unacceptable and affirmed that Türkiye will continue to oppose these actions on every platform.
President Erdoğan further stated that bilateral relations and cooperation between Türkiye and Syria will continue to develop in all fields, particularly in energy, defense, and transportation, and that Türkiye will continue to fulfill the requirements of neighborly and brotherly relations, as it has always done.
During the meeting, Syrian President Al-Sharaa thanked President Erdoğan for his critical support and efforts in the process of lifting the sanctions.
President Erdoğan was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Head of National Intelligence Organisation İbrahim Kalın, President of the Defence Industry Agency Haluk Görgün, Chief Advisor to the President on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç, and Chief Advisor to the President Sefer Turan at the meeting.
