President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Saturday at the iconic Dolmabahçe Palace, marking the first official visit since the U.S. and EU began easing sanctions on war-ravaged Syria.
The closed-door meeting between the two leaders lasted 90 minutes and was followed by a formal dinner overlooking the Bosphorus.
Turkish media broadcast footage of Erdoğan greeting Sharaa with a firm handshake as he stepped out of his car at the palace entrance – symbolism not lost in a region where gestures often speak louder than policy papers.
According to Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Directorate, the two leaders tackled bilateral ties, regional crises, and global shifts.
Erdoğan made clear that Ankara views Syria as a neighbor it intends to stand by during its reconstruction and reintegration into the international fold.
"Türkiye will continue to strengthen cooperation with Syria across all sectors – energy, defense, and transportation included," Erdoğan was quoted as saying.
He added that a peaceful and united Syria remains not just a regional necessity but a moral obligation.
Sharaa’s visit came hot on the heels of Washington’s move to loosen economic restrictions imposed on Damascus.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration declared Friday that the rollback aimed to boost Syria’s rebuilding efforts following over a decade of civil war.
Erdoğan welcomed the decision, expressing satisfaction with the lifting of sanctions and reiterating Türkiye's long-standing call for respecting Syria’s territorial integrity and governance under a single national authority.
The Turkish president did not mince words regarding Israel’s continued military activity inside Syria, calling it “unacceptable” and vowing that Ankara would oppose such aggression “on every platform.”
The high-level dialogue wasn't limited to the heads of state.
Erdoğan was flanked by top-tier officials, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief İbrahim Kalın, and several presidential advisors.
Sharaa was accompanied by his own senior team, including Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra.
The meeting followed secret bilateral talks in Syria earlier in the week, where MIT’s Kalın reportedly discussed the disarmament and reintegration of PKK/YPG elements into Syrian state structures.
According to sources from both Ankara and Damascus, Sharaa expressed deep gratitude to Erdoğan for Türkiye’s instrumental role in lobbying for the lifting of international sanctions.
