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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday held closed-door talks in Ankara with U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced.
The ministry said the meeting took place behind closed doors and did not disclose details about the agenda or discussions.
A photograph of the meeting was later shared with the media.
The meeting is expected to focus on several regional and bilateral issues, including developments in Syria, the cease-fire agreement in Gaza that took effect on Oct. 10 under U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, and ongoing discussions related to the F-35 fighter jet program.
Talks are also expected to cover the March agreement between Damascus and the YPG terrorist group.
Under the March deal, YPG forces are expected to merge with Syria’s new national army by the end of the year.
The agreement would bring all border crossings with Iraq and Türkiye, as well as airports and oil fields in northeastern Syria, under the control of Syria’s central government.
Detention centers housing thousands of Daesh members, currently guarded by the YPG terrorist group, would also be transferred to government control under the deal.
Last week, Barrack said Türkiye would need to forgo operating or retaining the Russian-made S-400 air defense system to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program.
He said discussions between Washington and Ankara on the issue are ongoing.
Türkiye was removed from the U.S.-led multinational program producing and purchasing F-35 fighter jets in 2019.
The U.S. later imposed sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) following Türkiye’s purchase of the S-400 missile defense system.
Barrack has also previously commented on the reduction of U.S. military deployments in Syria.
In a statement shared on his X account in June 2025, he said the number of U.S. military bases in Syria had decreased from eight to five, then to three, and would eventually be reduced to one.
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