Erdoğan, Syria's Sharaa discuss bilateral ties, regional developments in Ankara summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Ankara on Wednesday, with the leaders discussing bilateral relations and regional developments as Türkiye hosted the NATO summit.

The two leaders discussed Türkiye-Syria bilateral relations and regional developments, according to a statement by Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

The closed-door meeting at the presidential complex came on the margins of a two-day NATO summit hosted by Türkiye.

The summit in Ankara brought together leaders of the 32-member alliance as well as key partners to discuss Europe's defense capacity, the alliance's defense spending targets, military modernization, and continued support for Ukraine. Sharaa represented Syria as a guest of the summit.

During the meeting, Erdoğan said efforts to strengthen cooperation between Türkiye and Syria would continue to intensify and reaffirmed that Ankara would continue to stand by the Syrian people, the Communications Directorate said.

The Turkish president also stressed that keeping Syria out of the conflicts affecting the region is "vital" for rebuilding the country, according to the statement.

The Ankara meeting marks the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye, following the 2004 Istanbul summit. The gathering also provides a platform for bilateral meetings between Türkiye and allied countries and partner nations on political, security, and economic cooperation.

Türkiye, a NATO member for nearly 75 years, joined the alliance in 1952.