Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on Friday, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indonesian leader Prabowo Subianto to discuss Syria’s future.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, was also present. Fidan has been a key part of Ankara’s engagement with the new Syrian president since Assad fell from power and Sharaa became the new leader in Damascus. Sharaa formerly led Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham, a group that controlled Idlib in northwestern Syria.
Although he was an ally of Turkey, he was not a proxy of Ankara like the Syrian National Army, a group of proxies that Ankara backs in northern Syria. As such, Sharaa is seen as independent and also a young face for modern Syria as it emerges from a decade and a half of civil war.
There are concerns, particularly in Israel and some other places, that Sharaa may not be able to get rid of his past in which he was an extremist and his group was linked to Al Qaeda. However, judging by the reaction at the Antalya Forum, there is a lot of hope in the region for his success.
“In a pivotal meeting at the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria’s Interim President Ahmed Sharaa emphasized the importance of peace and stability in Syria, expressing a shared commitment to preventing any resurgence of chaos in the war-torn nation,” Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported.
“President Erdogan welcomed the opportunity to work toward a future in which Syria experiences years of stability, prosperity, and peace.” The report added that “Sharaa engaged in several high-level meetings during the event, including talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani.”
Sharaa is showcasing his skills. He has travelled abroad before. He first traveled to Saudi Arabia after taking power in Damascus in December 2024. He also travelled to Turkey and then Cairo. He has sought to reach out to various sides in the Middle East. There are challenges. Israel has said it wants southern Syria demilitarized and has been carrying out airstrikes in Syria since December 8.
Israel has also taken over areas near the border, along a line that was a buffer zone since the 1974 ceasefire along the Golan Heights. Israel also seized the top of Hermon mountain, which was previously held by Syria. Israel had held lower areas of the mountain. Now, Israeli troops are at their peak.
Israeli officials have accused Sharaa of being a “jihadist” and claim he is merely masking his actual views. However, Sharaa has sought to unify Syria and is now seeking accommodation with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria. Israel has said it could back Kurdish and Druze minorities in Syria. So far, these groups have preferred outreach to Damascus rather than Israel’s words.
Prior to the forum in Turkey, Syria had received a delegation from South Korea. This shows that the country is also doing outreach in Asia. It is now forging new connections that were not open to the Assad regime. Towards that end, it has also held a meeting in Antalya with the Kosovo leader.
Outreach to Azerbaijan is also important. Both Kosovo and Azerbaijan are friends of Israel. It’s possible that Syria’s forming ties with them could help to reduce Israel’s concerns. Also, Israel and Turkey have engaged in de-confliction talks regarding Syria, and Baku has backed these talks.
Baku could play a new role as a mediator in this respect. The Trump administration would likely look positively on this outcome since it also backs the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace. US envoy Steve Witkoff has been to Baku to discuss issues since mid-March.
Qatar, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan support Al-Sharaa
Other wheels are in motion as well. Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, “reiterated Qatar’s full support for Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and the aspirations of its brotherly people for security and stability,” Syria’s SANA media reported on April 12.
“Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported today that during the meeting of the Qatari Prime Minister with President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Friday on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in the Republic of Turkey, the two sides reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them, the latest developments in Syria and the State of Qatar’s support for Syria in the energy sector, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.”
SANA also reported on the new ties between Damascus and Baku. “Bilateral relations between Syria and Azerbaijan have entered a new phase following the fall of the former regime, revealing diverse opportunities for enhancing cooperation, particularly after the resumption of diplomatic relations and the reopening of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Damascus, which had been closed for 12 years, according to Lala Khalilzade, a leading advisor at the Center for International Relations Analysis in Azerbaijan,” SANA noted on April 13.
Khalilzade explained to SANA that “given the current developments, promising prospects have emerged for strengthening cooperation between Syria and Azerbaijan and elevating it to a more effective level. The resumption of activities at Azerbaijan’s embassy in Damascus reflects a mutual commitment to explore new horizons in political and diplomatic collaboration,” the report added. Baku has also provided humanitarian aid to Syria.
In addition, Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met Sharaa for the first time at the Antalya event on Friday. “I was pleased to meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Antalya. We discussed the situation in Syria, where he shared his vision for a future Syria that embraces all its people. I commended his inclusive approach and assured him of our continued support,” Barzani said in a post on social media.
“We also reaffirmed our shared commitment to the ongoing fight against ISIS. I was encouraged by President al-Sharaa’s dedication to regional peace and security,” Barzani noted.
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq borders the Kurdish regions of eastern Syria, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces operate. In early March, Sharaa met with Mazloum Abdi, the head of the SDF. The US has supported the recent talks between the SDF and Damascus.
The US also sent forces to the Tishreen dam in Syria over the weekend to be part of a mechanism in which Syria’s government will apparently find accommodation with the SDF there. The SDF had been holding the dam but were under attack by Turkish-backed SNA forces. The Barzani-Sharaa meeting is important because Barzani’s KDP party has ties with Kurdish parties in Syria.
In a future unified Syria, the ties with the Kurdistan region will be important for Syria. The meeting with Sharaa came as Masrour Barzani also hosted Iraq’s Prime Minister in Erbil, and Qubad Talabani, another Kurdish leader, attended the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece.
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