Golan Meets Turkish President in Ankara
According to webangah News Agency, Russian news outlet RIA Novosti reported—citing TRT—that Abu Mohammad al-Julani, former leader of the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, met with Turkish President recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Media reports indicate Erdoğan held talks with Julani during his unofficial visit to Istanbul. The meeting was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, National Intelligence Organization chief İbrahim Kalın, and Asaad al-Sheibani—foreign minister in Julani’s cabinet.
No further details have been released regarding the substance of the discussions.
In December 2022, following regional and international support amid the collapse of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, Julani consolidated control over Syria. In an unexpected move coinciding with then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Julani reportedly met with Trump and proposed lifting sanctions on Syria in exchange for demands including Syria joining normalization agreements with Israel (the “Abraham Accords”) and recognizing Israel.
The European Union recently announced partial sanctions relief on Syria following Julani’s rise to power.
