Syrian President for the transitional period Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara, marking the first visit of an official Syrian delegation to Turkish territory in over 13 years.

Turkish media released photos of the meeting between the two presidents on Tuesday, February 4, noting that a meeting will take place between al-Sharaa and Erdoğan at the presidential complex starting at 5 PM.

The official Turkish channel “A Haber” reported that Turkish President Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, met with al-Sharaa’s wife, Latife al-Durubi, in Ankara.

The recovery of the economy and sustainable stability in Syria will be among the topics on the agenda, with expectations that the main subject of the meeting will be the war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria, referring to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

According to a statement posted by Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Monday, discussions will occur at the presidential complex in Ankara between al-Sharaa and Erdoğan to review the latest developments in Syria from all aspects and evaluate the joint steps that the two countries should take for economic recovery, stability, and sustainable security in the country.

Altun noted that the discussions would also focus on the support that can be provided to the transitional administration and the Syrian people on various levels.

He stated, “We believe that Turkish-Syrian relations, which have returned to normal after Syria regained its freedom, will strengthen and take on a new dimension with the visit of Mr. Ahmed al-Sharaa and his accompanying delegation.”

Damascus has not officially announced the visit as of the release of this news.

Al-Sharaa’s visit to Turkey is the second he has made outside the country since being appointed president, coming a day after his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On January 23, al-Sharaa told the official Turkish channel “A Haber” that he was determined to visit Turkey, without specifying a date for the visit.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had previously visited Syria and met with al-Sharaa in the capital Damascus, marking the first visit of a Turkish Foreign Minister to Syria, and the second of a Turkish official after the visit of Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin on December 12, 2024.

On December 18 of the same year, the Turkish Foreign Minister called on Western countries to reconsider the classification of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (which al-Sharaa had led) on the terrorism lists, indicating that his country would reassess this classification.

Fidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera English that Tahrir al-Sham is the principal component of the coalition currently governing Syria and is in communication with Western countries, adding, “I believe it is time for the international community, starting with the United Nations, to remove their names from the list of terrorism.”