A Turkish diplomatic source told RIA Novosti on Sunday that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is making his first official visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the head of the new Syrian government.

"Minister Fidan met with Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus," the source said.

Fidan's visit was previously announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this week, though no specific date was provided at the time.

Dışişleri Bakanı Hakan Fidan, Suriye'deki yeni yönetimin lideri Ahmed eş-Şera ile Şam'da bir araya geldi https://t.co/8D5SKIHaKq pic.twitter.com/aNerifTnHJ

— Anadolu Ajansı (@anadoluajansi) December 22, 2024

Turkiye recently reopened its embassy in Syria after being closed for over a decade.

The Turkish embassy in Damascus had been closed since March 26, 2012, amid escalating violence during the early stages of the war on Syria and Ankara's calls for al-Assad to step down.

During the war, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) provided strategic leverage for Turkiye by acting as a key player in countering the Assad government and Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Read more: Lebanon's Druze leader visits Syria for talks with al-Sharaa