Syria’s new interim leader, meeting on Tuesday with the president of Turkey, thanked him for backing the rebel forces that toppled the Assad dictatorship and said he now sought

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa invited Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to visit Syria soon in a joint press conference in Ankara on Tuesday, as relations between the two countries thaw under the new Syrian administration.

The senior regional intelligence official, the Syrian security official and one of the Damascus-based foreign security sources said the bases under discussion would allow Turkey to defend Syria's air space in case of any future attacks.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria’s newly-appointed President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed deepened security ties – including a response to Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria – during a meeting in Ankara.

Syria's new interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, where they discussed improved security ties and how to respond to Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria. Sharra flew into Turkey from Saudi Arabia where he sought Riyadh's funding to rebuild Syria after a devastating 13-year civil war.

Speaking alongside Sharaa at a press conference in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkiye was ready to help Syria’s new leadership in the battle against both the militant Islamic State group and Kurdish militants, and added he believed the voluntary return of Syrian migrants would accelerate as Syria became more stable.

Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are expected to discuss a joint defense pact in Ankara on Tuesday, including establishing Turkish airbases in central Syria and training for Syria's new army,