News Desk
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria’s newly appointed leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Sunday, emphasising unity and stability in the war-torn nation while urging the international community to lift longstanding sanctions on Syria.
The visit comes two weeks after al-Sharaa assumed leadership following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the diplomatic engagement aimed at discussing Syria’s new political structure.
Addressing a joint press conference, Fidan pledged Ankara’s support for Syria’s political transition and reconstruction efforts. “Turkiye will continue to stand by your side.
Hopefully, the darkest days of Syria are behind us, and better days await,” said Fidan, adding that international sanctions on Damascus should be lifted “as soon as possible.”
Fidan also highlighted the need for global cooperation to aid Syria’s recovery and facilitate the return of millions of displaced Syrians.
Al-Sharaa, in his first public appearance since taking power, echoed the call for sanctions relief, stressing their detrimental impact on the Syrian people. “All economic sanctions must be lifted. Now the predator is gone, and only the victims remain.
These unjust sanctions have existed for decades and must be removed swiftly to help us rebuild our country,” he said.
Al-Sharaa, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, rose to power after years of conflict that saw hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced. The war, which began in 2011 as an uprising against al-Assad’s rule, evolved into a complex conflict involving multiple foreign actors, including Turkiye.
