Erdogan talks with Trump on Syria as US leader takes office

Ankara, Dec 21 (Representative) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that he expects to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump on Syria after the latter takes office. “Syria will have a very strong place in the Islamic world if it creates a truly stable structure with this new entity. Today, Syria with a population of over 30 million people cannot be ignored. The negotiations that we will have with the United States after Donald Trump takes office are very important,” Erdogan told reporters.The president also announced that Ankara had initiated contacts with representatives of Syria’s new administration regarding the country’s constitutional drafting process.”In the coming process, our brothers and sisters in Syria will make their own decisions about their future. We will strive to assist them in determining the structure of their government. We will help the Syrian administration in transferring our experience and in rebuilding the state. One of the most critical steps in state restoration is the creation of a constitution.

In this regard, we have already begun communicating with representatives of the new Syrian administration, particularly with the esteemed Julani [Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani],” the Turkish leader said. Erdogan added that Turkey hoped to address Syria’s energy problems. “We will cooperate [with Syria] in areas from defence to education and energy. Currently, Syria faces serious energy issues. However, we hope to resolve all their energy problems swiftly. In this context, our energy ministry will provide them with all the opportunities we can offer,” the president said.Earlier in the week, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party said it no longer considered Hayat Tahrir al-Sham a terrorist organisation.Syria’s armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8. Russian officials said that Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped down after negotiations with participants in the Syrian conflict and left Syria for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was named interim prime minister last week. He later announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.