Erdoğan hosts Syria's new leader in Ankara

Erdoğan hosts Syria's new leader in Ankara

ANKARA
Erdoğan hosts Syrias new leader in Ankara

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa on Feb. 4 for talks on rebuilding the neighboring lands and the issue of terrorism near the countries' border.

Al-Sharaa arrived mid-afternoon, flying in from Saudi Arabia where he made his first international visit since his rebels overthrew Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8.

The move left Syria, which shares a 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Türkiye, facing a transition period.

Working to keep balanced regional ties following his trip to Saudi Arabia, al-Sharaa was expected to draw on a strategic relationship he has built up with Ankara over the years.

The visit "at the invitation of Erdoğan" saw al-Sharaa hosted at the presidential palace. The pair discussed the "joint steps to be taken for economic recovery, sustainable stability and security."

Türkiye is offering to help with Syria's recovery after a devastating 13-year civil war.

In return, its is keen to secure Damascus' support against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria.

Türkiye opposes the SDF on the grounds that its main component YPG is aligned with PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU.

Ankara has had a strong presence in the northwestern enclave of Idlib which from 2017, which was run by a coalition headed by al-Sharaa. It still has military bases in northern Syria.

The interim president's visit came as Turkish forces and the allied Syrian National Army (SNA) intensified operations in northern Syria and Iraq.

Security sources have previously accused Assad’s regime of seeking support from PKK and YPG to counter the instability. The SNA has since ramped up efforts to block their movements, claiming to have severed key routes used to form a “terror corridor.”

Turkish government officials have recently signaled further military action to keep terror groups away from its borders.

Last week, Erdoğan said Türkiye's counterterrorism operations would continue “until we complete the security line” along its borders.

"We are monitoring the developments in our south, which is of vital importance for our security, and planning our own moves," Erdoğan said on Jan. 31 at a gathering in the southern city of Antalya.

"We will not stop until we complete the security line we want to establish along our borders and crush the heads of all terrorist organizations," Erdoğan said.