President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined an online meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday. Al-Sharaa and Trump engaged in their first in-person meeting in Riyadh.
Trump was in Saudi Arabia, the first stopover of a regional tour. He had earlier announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, implying that Erdoğan convinced him of the landmark decision.
Erdoğan was quoted as saying that the lifting of sanctions was of "historic" significance. The president said it would serve as an example to other countries that still have sanctions in place targeting Syria. He also stated that Türkiye was committed to its support to Syria in countering terrorist groups, including Daesh.
On Tuesday, Trump said he will order the removal of "brutal and crippling" U.S. sanctions on Syria after consultations with Erdoğan and other regional leaders.
"After discussing the situation in Syria with the crown prince, your crown prince, and also with President Erdoğan of Türkiye, who called me the other day and asked for a very similar thing, among others and friends of mine, people that I have a lot of respect for in the Middle East, I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness," Trump said in Riyadh as he addressed an investment forum.
At Wednesday's meeting, Erdoğan also urged more efforts to end violence in Gaza, saying it was "time" and reiterated Türkiye's commitment to efforts to achieve it.
NATO member Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but the more brutal Israeli attacks became, the harsher Ankara has made its criticism. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.
In addition to delivering humanitarian aid, the Turkish government has sought to rally international organizations, including the United Nations, NATO and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to both restrain Israel and encourage cooperation between Palestinian factions, most notably between Hamas and the Fatah movement.
