Türkiye, US say committed to jointly working for Syria’s future
WASHINGTON
Türkiye and the United States have reiterated their commitment to increasing cooperation on stability and security in Syria at a key bilateral meeting in Washington devoted to the future of the Middle Eastern country.
Senior diplomats from Türkiye and the U.S. held the new round of the Syria Working Group meetings in Washington on May 20 under the leadership of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz.
U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Thomas Barrack Jr. and Turkish Ambassador to the United States Sedat Önal also participated, according to a joint statement.
The meeting in Washington followed a four-way meeting in Riyadh on May 14 with the participation of U.S. President Donald Trump, Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who joined through the videoconference.
As Trump announced that his administration will lift all sanctions against Syria; Turkish, U.S. and Syrian foreign ministers also held a three-way meeting in Antalya on May 15 to coordinate the steps to be taken.
The Turkish-American Syria dialogue meeting meant to materialize the decisions taken in these meetings of the past week.
“The delegations discussed shared priorities in Syria, including sanctions relief in accordance with President Trump’s directive and combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” stressed the statement.
The United States and Türkiye share a vision for Syria that is stable and at peace with itself and its neighborhood, which will also allow millions of displaced Syrians to return home, it added.
The statement also underlined “The United States and Türkiye recognize the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria. A stable and united Syria, which does not offer a safe haven for terrorist organizations, will support regional security and prosperity.”
New era in Turkish-American ties
In the meantime, Landau underscored the strong bilateral relationship “as a new era of partnership, advancing cooperation between our two nations across a broad range of issues toward common goals of peace, trade and commerce,” according to a readout.
It also informed that the two sides discussed the importance of fulfilling Trump’s announcement of sanctions relief for Syria and recognized the need to maintain the territorial integrity of a stable, united Syria that is not a safe haven for terrorism.
