Turkish foreign minister to attend Syria talks in Riyadh

ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to attend a meeting on Syria in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Sunday, according to diplomatic sources.

The meeting will continue discussions from the previous gathering in Aqaba, Jordan, sources said.

Fidan visited Jordan on Dec. 14, 2024 to attend a meeting on Syria and also met his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.

The meeting in Riyadh will focus on Syria’s stability, with Fidan expected to highlight the importance of the country’s territorial integrity and unity, the need for systematic reconstruction steps, and the potential expansion of sanctions exemptions.

The meeting will also be attended by the foreign ministers of Syria, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman – along with the foreign ministers of Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, the UK, and Germany.

The US and Italy are expected to be represented by deputy foreign ministers.

The EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, the secretary general of the Arab League, the secretary general of the GCC, and the UN special envoy for Syria are also likely to attend the gathering.

On Jan. 1, Syria's new leaders made their first official foreign visit to Saudi Arabia, less than a month after former Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad's ouster on Dec. 8.

*Writing by Beril Canakci