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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential complex in Ankara, with the two leaders holding closed-door talks on bilateral relations and regional developments as Türkiye hosted a two-day NATO summit.
The meeting, held on the margins of the 32-nation alliance's gathering in the Turkish capital, signals deepening engagement between Ankara and Damascus at a critical moment in Syria's post-conflict trajectory.
According to a statement from Türkiye's Communications Directorate, Erdogan reaffirmed Ankara's commitment to the Syrian people and said efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation would continue to intensify.
Erdogan emphasized that keeping Syria out of the region's ongoing conflicts is "vital" for the country's reconstruction, framing stability as a prerequisite for rebuilding.
Türkiye has been one of the most active external actors in Syria over the past decade, hosting millions of Syrian refugees and playing a central military and diplomatic role in the country's civil war.
The relationship between Ankara and the new Damascus government has taken on fresh significance since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.
Speaking at a joint news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump on the summit's sidelines, Sharaa said Syria had made significant strides in national consolidation over the past year and a half.
He credited U.S. sanctions relief and backing from regional allies, including Türkiye and Gulf states, as decisive factors.
"This is thanks to the strong Syrian people and to the historic decision made by Trump to lift the sanctions on Syria," Sharaa said, adding that support from Türkiye, Gulf nations and other regional partners had also been essential to that progress.
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The summit marks the second time Türkiye has hosted the alliance, following the 2004 Istanbul gathering.
Beyond collective defense discussions, including Europe's military capacity, spending targets and continued support for Ukraine, the event served as a venue for a series of bilateral meetings among allied and partner nations. Syria's Sharaa attended as a guest of the summit.
Türkiye, which joined NATO in 1952 and has been a member for nearly 75 years, has positioned itself as a pivotal diplomatic bridge between the alliance and actors across the Middle East and beyond.
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