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In Turkey, New Syrian Leader and Erdogan Pledge to Work Together

In Turkey, New Syrian Leader and Erdogan Pledge to Work Together


Syria’s new interim chief, assembly on Tuesday with the president of Turkey, thanked him for backing the insurgent forces that toppled the Assad dictatorship and stated he now sought a deep strategic relationship that might profit each their international locations.

The assembly was President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first with Ahmed al-Shara, who led the offensive that toppled President Bashar al-Assad of Syria final month. Both international locations have rather a lot using on their relationship, and the general public feedback by the 2 leaders after they met within the Turkish capital, Ankara, made clear that they’re each trying to the long run.

Mr. al-Shara, who was appointed interim president by a bunch of insurgent leaders throughout a closed-door assembly final week, thanked Mr. Erdogan and his individuals for his or her help for Syrian refugees and for the Syrian opposition through the warfare. He stated that Syria sought a “deep, strategic relationship in all fields” that might profit each international locations.

This would come with growing a “shared technique to confront safety threats within the area,” he stated, particularly mentioning northeastern Syria, which is managed by a Kurdish-led militia that’s not beneath Mr. al-Shara’s authority.

Turkey considers that militia, which is backed by the United States to battle the jihadists of the Islamic State, a terrorist group due to its ties to Kurdish militants in Turkey and Iraq who’ve battled the Turkish state.

Mr. Erdogan, too, spoke of unifying all of Syria beneath the brand new authorities and stated he appreciated the brand new authorities’ “robust will to battle terror,” a reference to the Kurdish-led militia.

Turkey shares a protracted border with Syria, hosts greater than three million Syrian refugees and had chilly relations with Mr. al-Assad for years. Mr. Erdogan started talking of mending ties not lengthy earlier than Mr. al-Assad’s ouster.

Turkey worries that instability in Syria could lead on extra refugees to flee or stop these already in Turkey from returning residence. Turkey additionally has army posts in northwestern Syria and straight backs Syrian armed teams close to the border.

For Mr. al-Shara, Turkey might present important help as he faces the monumental duties of unifying Syria, reviving its battered economic system and reworking a constellation of militias right into a nationwide military.

Turkey has been interacting with armed teams that Mr. al-Shara has led since early within the warfare as a result of they managed vital territory alongside Turkey’s southern border, and Turkish officers have been among the many first to go to him in Damascus after Mr. al-Assad’s fall.

Mr. al-Shara arrived in Ankara on a Turkish state jet and was welcomed on the runway by Turkey’s power and pure assets minister, Alparslan Bayraktar.

Mr. Erdogan stated that Turkey stood prepared to assist Syria rebuild its infrastructure and that it might work for the lifting of the broad sanctions imposed on the nation to punish Mr. al-Assad. The sanctions might impede reconstruction efforts.

Mr. al-Shara concluded his remarks by inviting Mr. Erdogan to go to Syria and the 2 males warmly gripped fingers.

Despite Turkey’s shut ties with the brand new authorities in Damascus, it’s struggling to repair its personal economic system after years of populist spending and persistently excessive inflation. It can be troublesome for it to supply Syria with the financing it must restart the economic system and start rebuilding communities that have been lowered to rubble through the warfare.

So Mr. al-Shara has additionally labored to construct ties with the United States, European international locations and Gulf Arab leaders.

Last week, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, grew to become the primary head of state to go to Mr. al-Shara in Damascus. And on Monday, Mr. al-Shara met in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the dominion’s de facto ruler. To what extent these leaders will assist fund the brand new Syria stays to be seen.

Mr. al-Shara, a former member of Al Qaeda, introduced a public break with the group years in the past and now expresses extra reasonable Islamist views. The militia he leads stays categorised as a terrorist group by the United States and different international locations.

Safak Timur contributed reporting.

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Written by EGN NEWS DESK

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