Turkish, Syrian foreign ministers, US secretary of state hold trilateral meeting
ANTALYA
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his U.S. and Syrian counterparts in Antalya on Thursday during a rare trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of an informal NATO foreign ministers' summit, diplomatic sources said.
The roughly two-hour talks, held at the NEST Congress Center, brought together Fidan, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Syrian Foreign Minister Esad Hasan Sheybani, marking a rare diplomatic encounter between the three nations. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham also joined the American delegation.
According to diplomatic sources, the discussions were "sincere and constructive," focusing on regional security, the future of Syria, and the importance of sustaining U.S.-Syria engagement.
Fidan stressed the need for stability and prosperity for the Syrian people and emphasized that developments in Syria should move in the right direction. He highlighted Türkiye’s support for Syria’s efforts against terrorism, especially against ISIS, and urged all sides not to undermine Damascus’ remaining counterterrorism capacities.
The meeting also addressed follow-ups to the recent summit in Riyadh between U.S. President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa, in which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan participated remotely.
The U.S. side affirmed its commitment to helping Syria regain stability and overcome barriers to reconstruction, while reiterating the importance of trust-building and Türkiye’s role in counterterrorism.
The Syrian delegation underlined that lifting international sanctions was critical for rebuilding a “new Syria” and emphasized that the Syrian people, now governing themselves for the first time in decades, were committed to regional stability and global integration.
