Top Turkish officials visit Damascus

Anadolu Agency

Turkey's foreign minister, defence minister and the head of the national intelligence agency are in Syria on a working visit.

Senior Turkish officials met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Thursday in Damascus. Three-hour meeting covered bilateral relations and regional developments.

The visit, focused on official talks, also includes meetings with Syrian counterparts.

The visit comes amid recent sectarian violence in Syria, where security forces of the new Islamist-led government—backed by Turkey—have clashed with fighters from the Alawite minority loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

The visit also follows an agreement between the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government to integrate the group into state institutions. Under the deal, the SDF will transfer control of civilian and military institutions in northeast Syria, including border crossings, an airport, and oil and gas fields, to the Syrian state.

Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization due to its links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for over 40 years.

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