He said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would soon be visiting Syria to work on the “new structure” to be established in the country. “If Syria establishes a truly stable structure with this new formation, it will, in my view, hold a very strong position in the Islamic world,” he said adding the Turkey will not leave Syria.
In an interview with the BBC on Thursday, Syria’s rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his country was exhausted by war and posed no threats to the West or any of its neighbors.
He claimed Israel should not be concerned over pro-Iran or Hezbollah militias on its borders. “those threats are a thing of the past,” he said.
Meanwhile, two journalists working for Kurdish media outlets in Turkey were killed in northern Syria on Thursday after their vehicle was allegedly targeted by a Turkish drone, Turkish media and a pro-Kurdish party said.
“This attack is a crime against humanity,” she said. “We call on the Turkish government to immediately address the issue and ensure press protections are upheld.”
Turkish officials did not immediately comment on the incident.
The U.S. State Department said top U.S. diplomats were expected to hold Washington’s first in-person official meetings with Syria’s new de facto rulers led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Damascus on Friday, hoping to gauge what plans the former al Qaeda affiliate has for the country.
Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, who is tasked with leading the Department’s Syria engagement, are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Assad’s rule collapsed.
“They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the State Department spokesperson said.
“They also plan to meet with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan.”
