Syria’s President Al Shara visits Turkey for talks on rebuilding and security

Syria’s new leader invited Turkish President to Damascus in sign of growing closeness between two leaders

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP

Syria's newly appointed President Ahmad Al Shara visited Turkey on Tuesday for talks on rebuilding the war-torn country and security issues that are likely to include Kurdish fighters near the Turkish border.

Mr Al Shara's visit is his second foreign trip since being declared President by his supporters last week, after a visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday during which he held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

He travelled to Turkey at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish leader's office said on Monday. The pair gave a new conference scant with detail of their discussions, but with a friendly tone.

Mr Erdogan said they had discussed the need for the international community to lift sanctions against Syria, steps to be taken against militant groups and the importance of Arab support for the new government.

Although not referred to publicly, defence matters were also expected to be discussed, with talk of an agreement that could see Turkey establish new air bases in Syria, use Syrian airspace for military purposes, and take a lead role in training troops in the country's new army, sources told Reuters. Neither Mr Al Shara or Mr Erdogan mentioned any detail to that effect on Tuesday.

A regional intelligence official, a Syrian security official and a Damascus-based foreign security source said the talks would include setting up two Turkish bases in Syria's vast central desert region, known as the Badiyah. A regional intelligence official told Reuters the possible airbase locations were the Palmyra military airport and the Syrian army's T4 base, both in Homs province.

Turkey has played a key role in supporting rebels against former president Bashar Al Assad throughout Syria's civil war. Mr Al Shara is the leader of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham – a group formerly linked to Al Qaeda and Al Nusra Front – which played the main role in the downfall of the Assad regime.

Turkey also maintains a strong presence in Idlib, in north-western Syria, which has been run by a coalition led by Mr Al Shara since 2017.

On Tuesday, Mr Erdogan said Turkey was "willing to help" the new government battle against both ISIS and Kurdish militants, which Ankara views as terrorists. He hailed Mr Al Shara for his "strong commitment" to fighting terrorism.

"I would like to express our satisfaction for the strong commitment my brother Ahmad Al Shara has shown in the fight against terrorism," he told reporters in Ankara.

Turkish-backed groups have been fighting against Kurdish militias in north-eastern Syria for years, including the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

The US considers the SDF, a mostly Kurdish force mainly made up of members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), a key ally in fighting ISIS.

Mr Al Shara said in a televised interview on Monday that the SDF had “expressed willingness” to put their weapons under state control. “There are ongoing negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces to resolve the issue of north-eastern Syria,” he told Syria TV.

Mr Al Shara has said he is planning a national conference to bring together the country's diverse communities.

Syria's relations with Gulf and other Arab states have improved since Mr Al Shara took power, in contrast to the country's reliance on Iran under Mr Al Assad.

Mr Al Shara's government will also need to work out the fate of Russian bases in Tartus and Latakia, a topic under negotiation between Mr Assad's old backers and the new regime, the Kremlin said.