ISTANBUL 

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa began their meeting at the Presidential Complex in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday.

The closed-door talks started at 1400GMT.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa at the Presidential Complex in the Türkiye's capital Ankara https://t.co/vxxXXxExrE pic.twitter.com/dP8e2bmaSf

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) February 4, 2025

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Meanwhile, Türkiye's first lady Emine Erdogan met with Sharaa's wife, Latife Al-Durubi.

Sharaa is also scheduled to attend a working dinner with delegations and participate in a joint press conference at the Presidential Complex as part of his Ankara visit on Erdogan's invitation.

Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime groups to remove the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, was declared president last week.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.