Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Syria in the near future, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, as Ankara and Damascus seek to further deepen political, economic and security cooperation following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Fidan made the comments late Monday after a two-day visit to Syria, during which he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Interior Minister Anas Khattab.
He said his talks in Damascus had included preparations for Erdogan’s upcoming visit, describing the current period in the region as "decisive".
Erdogan’s visit to Syria has not yet been confirmed.
"The common determination to preserve Syria’s unity and territorial integrity" was reaffirmed during the meetings, Fidan said in a post on X, adding that Turkey would continue to stand alongside Syria during the current phase.
Fidan also said he had seen during his visit how Damascus was "regaining its safe and vibrant character", expressing hope that Syrians would build a "safe, stable and prosperous state that embraces all segments of society".
The Turkish foreign minister visited several of Damascus' prominent religious and historical sites during his trip, including the mosque and shrine of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, the shrine of Khalid al-Baghdadi, the tomb of Saladin and the Sulaymaniyya Takiyya.
He also met a delegation from the Syrian Turkmen Council headed by Abdul Rahman Mustafa, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, citing diplomatic sources.
Fidan first announced Erdogan’s planned visit on Sunday during a joint press conference with Shaibani in Damascus, saying the Turkish president wanted to make the trip and that preparations for it had been among the issues discussed by the two sides.
The visit would mark a further step in expanding ties between Ankara and Damascus, with the two countries seeking to strengthen cooperation across various sectors.
Shaibani said Syria and Turkey had held dozens of meetings at presidential and ministerial levels and had signed around 40 agreements and memoranda of understanding. The agreements form part of a growing institutional relationship between the two countries, with Syrian ministries and government bodies developing links with their Turkish counterparts.
The Syrian foreign minister said the two sides were also working on a "comprehensive strategic document" on energy and hoped to increase bilateral trade to around $10 billion annually.
He said an energy agreement signed in May 2025 had helped facilitate electricity supplies across the border into northern Syria, while praising Turkey’s role in rehabilitating infrastructure and public services and its support for lifting sanctions on Syria.
The two countries are also working towards a broader energy strategy covering gas, electricity and electricity-grid interconnection, according to officials.
Fidan said Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat had recently visited Damascus and Aleppo with a delegation of businesspeople, with talks focusing on increasing investment and expanding trade, particularly in the energy sector.
Syria could also play a key role in connecting Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Gulf countries and Iraq with Turkey and the Mediterranean, Fidan said.
The Turkish minister also said the two sides were working to activate a Joint Higher Committee that would oversee political, diplomatic, economic and security cooperation. The committee is expected to meet regularly and operate through specialised sectoral committees, with its agenda including energy, refugee returns, education and culture.
Fidan said Erdogan’s upcoming visit would provide an opportunity to review decisions and measures taken by the committee.
Turkey has emerged as a key player in Syria following the ouster of Assad and has maintained a troop presence in the north of the country.