Erdogan, Syria’s Sharaa maintain talks in Istanbul

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul, Turkey on May 24, 2025. Photo: Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO through Reuters

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was holding talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday (May 24, 2025), information channel CNN Turk and state media mentioned, broadcasting video of the 2 leaders greeting one another.

The go to comes the day after U.S. President Donald Trump‘s administration issued orders that it mentioned would successfully elevate sanctions on Syria. Mr. Trump had pledged to unwind the measures to assist the nation rebuild after its devastating civil struggle.

Video footage on Turkish tv confirmed Erdogan shaking arms with Mr. Sharaa as he emerged from his automobile on the Dolmabahce Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey’s largest metropolis.

The two international locations’ Foreign Ministers additionally attended the talks, in addition to Turkey’s Defence Minister and the pinnacle of the Turkish MIT intelligence company, in line with Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu information company.

The Syrian delegation additionally included Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, in line with Syrian state information company SANA.

MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin and Mr. Sharaa on this week held talks in Syria on the Syrian Kurdish YPG militant group laying down its weapons and integrating into Syrian safety forces, a Turkish safety supply mentioned beforehand.