UPDATE - Syrian president receives Turkish foreign minister in US for talks

UPDATE WITH DETAILS BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY SOURCES

By Diyar Guldogan, Gizem Nisa Demir

WASHINGTON / ISTANBUL (AA) - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday received Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the US for talks.

According to information obtained from Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, Fidan met al-Sharaa during his visit to Washington.

No additional information was shared about the closed-door meeting.

Earlier, Sharaa arrived at the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump in what marked the first visit of a Syrian leader since the nation gained independence nearly 80 years ago.

Later, speaking to Turkish media, including Anadolu, Fidan said he had been invited to meet numerous US officials at the White House, including his counterpart Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack.

"Of course, my presence at the White House today coincided with the visit of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa," he added.

Fidan said that while Sharaa was meeting with Trump and his team, he was also invited to join them.

"I was also present. We conveyed our president's (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) greetings and best wishes to Trump. We then had the opportunity to discuss Türkiye's general views on Syria, opportunities for cooperation with the US, and many other issues related to Syria's development, unity, solidarity, peace and regional security," he added.