Ankara, Aug. 6 (SANA) Syria and Türkiye agreed on Thursday to establish a High-Level Coordination Council as the two neighboring countries seek to deepen political, economic and infrastructure cooperation.
The agreement was reached during talks in Ankara between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, who discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and reviewed a range of joint initiatives aimed at expanding cooperation.
The two sides also discussed accelerating the activation of the Four Seas Committee, advancing railway connectivity projects linking Syria with Türkiye and neighboring countries, and reviewed the latest regional developments.
Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, al-Shaibani said Syria and Türkiye had placed shared political and economic priorities at the top of their agenda, including reactivating bilateral economic and trade agreements and building on recent coordination between the two countries’ central banks, which he said had laid the groundwork for a new phase of cooperation.
He said Damascus and Ankara viewed stability and sustained success in combating terrorism as the cornerstone of their partnership, adding that Syria’s efforts to extend state authority across its entire territory and eliminate the presence of weapons outside the legal framework reflected that commitment.
Al-Shaibani said a unified Syria free of terrorism and militias constituted the strongest safeguard for the two countries’ shared borders.
He added that the region was moving toward a common basis for stability based on ending the presence of armed groups operating outside the legitimate state framework, saying Syria and Türkiye had agreed to support efforts led by Iraq and Lebanon to strengthen regional stability.
The Syrian foreign minister said Damascus would continue diplomatic efforts to end repeated Israeli aggression against southern Syria, reaffirming Syria’s condemnation of any aggression targeting its sovereignty and territory.
He also said the two sides discussed accelerating the activation of the Four Seas Committee and advancing the railway project linking Syria with Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, describing Syria as the shortest and most efficient hub on regional and global trade routes.
Al-Shaibani strongly condemned any aggression targeting the Gulf states, saying their security and stability form an integral pillar of the regional security architecture.
He also called on regional countries to strengthen security coordination and enhance border security, saying Syria continued to face threats along its borders from armed militias operating outside the authority of the state and would address those threats to safeguard its national security and protect its people.
For his part, Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to supporting Syria and expanding cooperation across a range of sectors, particularly the economy and counterterrorism, in a way that contributes to Syria’s security and stability and that of the wider region.
He said Ankara was working to increase bilateral trade, expand the number of border crossings, support banking and transport infrastructure, and advance reconstruction projects, adding that Türkiye was also cooperating with Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to improve regional transport connectivity.
Fidan stressed the need to end Israeli aggression against Syria and called on all parties to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
R A H / ABD
