Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that preparations for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s planned visit to Damascus were discussed during his recent two-day trip to Syria.
“At a time when our region is going through a critical period, we paid an important visit to Syria,” Fidan said in a social media post on Monday.
Fidan said he met Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa on the first day of the visit, as well as Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani and Interior Minister Anas Khattab.
He said the talks reaffirmed the two countries’ “common will” to preserve Syria’s unity and territorial integrity and help its people achieve peace and prosperity.
“We discussed the visit our president will pay to Damascus,” Fidan added.
On the second day, Fidan met representatives of Syria’s ethnic Turkmen community, describing them as an integral part of the country.
He said Syrian Turkmen had played an important role in the struggle against the Baath regime and were continuing to contribute to efforts to build a stable and prosperous Syria.
Fidan also visited the tombs of historical figures Ibn Arabi, Mawlana Khalid al Baghdadi and Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, along with the Turkish Air Martyrs’ Cemetery and the Sulaymaniyah Complex in Damascus.
“During our two-day visit, we saw that the streets of Damascus are becoming peaceful and lively again,” he said.
Fidan said Türkiye welcomed the Syrian people’s efforts to build, through their own will, “a secure, stable and prosperous country that embraces all segments of society”.
“We will continue to stand by Syria throughout this process,” he added.
