High-level Syrian delegation including the foreign and defense ministers’ visits Türkiye
A high-level Syrian delegation arrived in Ankara on Wednesday morning for an official visit aimed at holding talks with Turkish officials.
The delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al Shaibani, Minister of Defense Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra, and head of the intelligence service Hussein Salameh, according to the Syrian official News Agency (SANA).
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced in a brief statement that the Syrian Foreign Minister would visit Türkiye on August 13, 2025, without revealing further details.
The Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs was scheduled to travel to Paris on Wednesday to meet with Israeli officials in the presence of US envoy Tom Barrack, but the meeting has been postponed.
It’s worth noting that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Damascus last Thursday, meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani, as Fidan’s visit was his third visit since the fall of the Assad regime.
Following the visit, Fidan tweeted that the talks focused on security issues, particularly confronting internal and external threats to Syria’s sovereignty and unity.
He emphasized Türkiye’s continued support for the Syrian government’s efforts to combat terrorism.
Fidan also indicated Ankara’s readiness to provide the necessary support in managing and securing the camps located in northeastern Syria, with the aim of enhancing stability in those areas.
He also referred to the discussion of Israeli activities targeting Syria, accusing Israel of seeking to destabilize the region and stressing that confronting these policies is the responsibility of the international community.
In a related context, al Shaibani’s visit to Türkiye comes after the Syrian government announced its withdrawal from the negotiations scheduled with the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) in Paris.
This came after the SDF organized a political conference in Hasakah, which included members of the regime’s opponents, to support the idea of decentralization.
