Their meeting was the first since the former rebel leader led the offensive that last month toppled Syria’s former autocratic ruler, Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's interim president is in the Turkish capital for talks expected to focus on Syria's economic recovery and the presence of Kurdish-led forces in the north of the country that Turkey considers to be a security threat.

It’s the first meeting of Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has military posts in Syria and hosts millions of Syrian refugees.

Syria's newly appointed president for a transitional phase Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 4, 2025. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO/Handout via REUTERS

STORY: Syria's transitional leader Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Turkey on Tuesday as he seeks to burnish his legitimacy on the international stage.The former rebel leader, who declared himself Syria's interim president last week,

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with Hamas leader Muhammad Ismail Darwish in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan's office said in a statement. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting, as well as other Hamas officials.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa met in Ankara to discuss strategies against Kurdish militants and Islamic State forces in northeast Syria. Both countries are keen on enhancing cooperation,

The meeting between the Turkish president and Syria's new leader will focus on Syria's post-conflict reconstruction, economic recovery and security issues.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and Syria's newly appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, had discussed in Ankara on Tuesday steps to be taken against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria. Speaking alongside Sharaa at a news conference in Ankara,