Syria's interim leader holds talks with key ally Turkey on his second international trip

ANKARA — Syria's interim president was in the Turkish capital on Tuesday for talks expected to focus on Syria's economic recovery as well as the presence of Kurdish-led forces in the north of the country that Turkey considers to be a security threat.

Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was appointed interim president last week, appeared to have been welcomed in Ankara with a low-key ceremony compared to other heads of state, who are usually received with military bands and mounted troops escorting them on arrival.

Al-Sharaa, the former rebel leader who headed the insurgents who toppled President Bashar Assad in December, is making his second international trip following his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greeted al-Sharaa, who was dressed in a suit and a red tie — an apparent nod to the Turkish flag — with a small group of the honor guard at the entrance of the vast presidential palace complex.

Turkey was a strong backer of groups opposed to Assad during the country's 13-year civil war and is considered to be one of the new administration's key allies.

Erdogan's office said talks would focus on steps toward Syria's economic recovery and its security and stability.

Turkey, which shares a 910-kilometer (565-mile) border with Syria, views the Syrian Kurdish militias that make up the key component of the U.S.-allied, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party. It is pressing for the group to disband.

Turkish-backed fighters are currently battling the SDF in a bid to push the Kurdish militias away from the Turkish border.

Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the SDF, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday that he recently met with al-Sharaa in Damascus, adding that the two sides are negotiating with the help of mediators to find compromises regarding Syria's future, including the future of the Kurds.

Turkey hosted the greatest number of Syrian refugees following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 — more than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.