Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and Syria's newly appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, had discussed in Ankara on Tuesday steps to be taken against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria.

The senior regional intelligence official, the Syrian security official and one of the Damascus-based foreign security sources said the bases under discussion would allow Turkey to defend Syria's air space in case of any future attacks.

Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Monday it would take between four and five years to hold presidential elections, the first time he has laid out a timeline for the vote since he was named transitional president last week.

A hmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s president, spoke to The Economist on January 31st in Damascus. The conversation has been translated and lightly edited for clarity. You can read our analysis of the interview here.

Syria's newly appointed president for a transitional phase Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 4, 2025. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO/Handout via REUTERS CAIRO (Reuters) - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa invited Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to visit Syria soon in a joint press conference in Ankara on Tuesday,

It’s the first meeting of Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has military posts in Syria and hosts millions of Syrian refugees.