Turkish foreign minister meets with leader of new Syrian administration

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday met with the leader of new Syrian administration, Ahmed al Sharaa, in the capital Damascus, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, Türkiye’s Acting Charge d’Affaires at the Damascus Embassy Burhan Koroglu, and Esaad Hasan Seyban, who was appointed as the Syrian interim government’s foreign minister, were also present in the meeting.

A top US diplomat for the Middle East also traveled to Damascus on Friday, where he met officials from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to discuss the need for an “inclusive” political process, according to the State Department.

The meeting marks the first between US officials and the HTS days after Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

• Ahmed al Sharaa
• Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz
• Türkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan