Syria's interim president Sharaa holds talks with Erdogan in Turkey

ANKARA,— Syria’s interim Islamist president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday, marking his second international visit since ousting Bashar al-Assad.

Sharaa arrived in the Turkish capital on an official Turkish government aircraft, according to footage broadcast from the airport. Talks began shortly after his arrival, a Turkish official confirmed.

According to Reuters, discussions focused on a joint defense pact, which includes plans to establish Turkish airbases in central Syria and provide training for Syria’s new army, as well as the Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan.

Ankara is reportedly keen to set up military bases as a warning to the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia operating in northeast Syria.

Sharaa flew in from Saudi Arabia, where he sought financial backing from the Gulf nation to help rebuild Syria’s war-torn economy after 13 years of civil war.

Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani, leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, which had past ties to al-Qaeda. Before forming al-Nusra, he was a senior figure in the Islamic State (ISIS). His rise to power marks a major shift in Syria’s leadership after years of conflict.

Turkey, which has maintained a relationship with Sharaa for years, reopened its diplomatic mission in Syria and sent intelligence and diplomatic officials to meet with him just days after HTS overthrew Assad on December 8.

Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan’s communications director, said Monday that the talks would focus on “coordinated efforts for economic recovery, lasting stability, and regional security.”

Despite facing its own economic struggles, Turkey has offered to support Syria’s reconstruction. In return, Ankara is pushing for Damascus’s cooperation against Kurdish militant groups in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).

Turkey opposes the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of northeastern Syria, due to its alleged close ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a banned group in Turkey.

Ankara has long viewed the SDF as a security threat and has previously threatened military action to push Kurdish forces away from its border.

Turkey already has a military presence in northern Syria, particularly in Idlib, where HTS has been the dominant force since 2017.

A Western diplomatic source told AFP that despite Turkish pressure, HTS had previously “avoided direct conflict with the Kurdish SDF.”

However, tensions remain high, with Turkey weighing its military options against the YPG while also making overtures to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, potentially seeking his influence to encourage Kurdish fighters to disarm.

“Erdogan is determined to prevent the formation of a Kurdish state near Turkey’s border,” said Hamit Bozarslan, a Paris-based expert on Kurdish affairs.

At the same time, Sharaa recognizes the role of Kurdish groups that remained neutral during his takeover and may seek cooperation with them, Bozarslan added.

According to Gonul Tol, director of Turkish studies at the Middle East Institute in Washington, Sharaa’s priority is “to resolve this diplomatically.” However, she warned that his administration may eventually be forced to take action to assert control over the region.

Much will depend on US policy under President Donald Trump, though analysts say Washington’s approach to Syria remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s defense ministry confirmed that Turkish and Syrian military officials met last week to discuss security cooperation.

“Our meetings will continue as necessary to address mutual security concerns,” a Turkish defense official told Reuters.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler has stated that Turkey is prepared to offer assistance if the new Syrian adminstration requests it.

While Ankara has not ruled out reevaluating its military presence in Syria, Guler emphasized that any such decision would depend on “future conditions and mutual agreements.”

(With files from AFP | Reuters | Agencies)