Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has joined a meeting between Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to boost trilateral ties, during the latter’s first trip to Damascus.
It was the first meeting between the senior officials of three countries since Syria entered a new era in late 2024 after the decades-old Baath regime was overturned by opposition groups led by Shaara, who is now serving as the interim president.
Zelensky traveled to Damascus from Istanbul on March 5 after his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Fidan went to Syria on the same day and attended Sharaa-Zelensky meeting.
Later, Fidan also met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Ukraine Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha in a three-way format. There was no joint statement after the talks but Sybiha announced the creation of a trilateral mechanism through his social media account.
“In Damascus, together with my colleagues Asaad al-Shibani and Hakan Fidan we held a meeting in a new trilateral format Ukraine-Syria-Türkiye. We agreed that today’s historic visit of President Zelensky to Syria and talks with the Syrian President Sharaa are a milestone for all of our countries,” the Ukrainian top diplomat said.
“We had a substantive exchange on security, which remains a central issue on agenda for both Europe and the Middle East. Security is indivisible, and stability in one region directly affects the other. Strengthening coordination and joint efforts is essential,” he stated.
Logistics and the security of trade and maritime routes were also on the agenda Sybiha stressed, saying they agreed that “ensuring their resilience is a shared priority.”
Fidan also had a bilateral meeting with Shibani during which the two diplomats discussed ways to further increase cooperation in various fields, including security. They exchanged views on the general security situation in the region amid continued U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Syria.
Fidan meets US envoy
In the meantime, Fidan met the U.S. ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, on March 6 in the Turkish capital Ankara. There was no statement after the meeting.
Türkiye and the U.S. have recently intensified cooperation on Syria particularly over the integration of YPG into the Syrian national army and preventing Israeli attacks on Syria. The two nations have supported the implementation of Jan. 17 and Jan. 30 agreements between YPG and Damascus.
