Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, now the de facto president of Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, will make his first foreign visit to Turkey, according to the pro-government Yeni Şafak newspaper.
Al-Sharaa, the leader of militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former affiliate of al-Qaeda, is leading Syria now after an alliance of rebel forces led by his HTS ousted Assad on December 8 following an 11-day offensive.
According to Yeni Şafak, al-Sharaa was to visit Turkey several days ago, but his visit had to be postponed due to a change in his schedule. He is expected to travel to Turkey soon.
“He will visit the strongest supporter of the revolution,” said Yeni Şafak, referring to Turkey’s support for the rebel groups in Syria that toppled Assad.
There has not been any official confirmation of the reported visit either by Turkey or Syria.
The report said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is likely to receive al-Sharaa in Ankara. The presence of Kurdish militant groups in Syria, which Turkey sees as terrorists but which have been allies of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), will probably dominate the talks between Erdoğan and al-Jolani, Yeni Şafak said.
Al-Sharaa told Al Arabiya TV on Sunday that the Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the national army.
President Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Fidan increased their rhetoric this week, warning of a military operation in northern Syria unless the Kurdish militant groups there accepted Ankara’s conditions for a “bloodless” transition.
After the fall of the Assad regime, the head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT), İbrahim Kalın, became the first foreign official to visit Damascus, followed by Foreign Minister Fidan. Following the Turkish officials, representatives from the US and Europe began to visit Damascus.