Antalya: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that he will hold a trilateral meeting on Thursday with his US counterpart Marco Rubio and his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Sheibani in Antalya, southwestern Turkey. In response to a question about US President Donald Trump’s announcement to lift sanctions on Syria, Fidan said in a televised statement that Turkey has a vision for efforts related to a solution in Syria.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Fidan emphasized that this vision requires the participation of all regional parties, not just Turkey, in resolving the Syrian issue, and the Europeans and Americans must also play a positive role in this regard. He pointed out that many countries, especially Saudi Arabia, are playing a positive role in the region and that Turkey is working in coordination with these countries.
Fidan highlighted the diplomatic efforts led by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Sheibani which are being positively received globally. He stressed the importance of lifting the sanctions imposed under the ousted regime to ensure the return of the Syrian people to their country and revive the economy.
He further mentioned that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed concerns about the war in the Gaza Strip and joint efforts to improve the situation in Syria during his phone conversation with US President Trump. Fidan noted that Trump responded positively to the Turkish president’s request, underscoring the constructive role Turkey has played in Syria as both a matter of trust and an international responsibility.
Fidan described the quadrilateral meeting hosted by Riyadh today between Turkey, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Syria as positive and “historic.” He explained that his trilateral meeting with Rubio and Al-Sheibani tomorrow will focus on working on how to move forward with the details agreed upon at the quadrilateral meeting, expressing hope for increased investments in Syria once the sanctions are officially lifted.
Earlier on Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt addressed the quadrilateral meeting that included US President Donald Trump, his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, joined remotely by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Levitt noted in a post on the X platform that Turkish President Erdogan commended President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to promote peace and prosperity in Syria. The Saudi Crown Prince praised President Trump for his decision to lift the sanctions, describing him as courageous. Trump, in turn, thanked President Erdogan and the Crown Prince for their friendship and told President Sharaa that he had a tremendous opportunity to do something historic for his country.