Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will pay an official visit to Turkey on Tuesday at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Al-Sharaa is expected to arrive in Ankara from Saudi Arabia this afternoon.

A Syrian presidential official was quoted by Reuters as saying that Al-Sharaa is expected to hold talks with Erdogan on the signing of a joint defence agreement, including the establishment of Turkish air bases in central Syria and the training of the new Syrian army.

The talks between the president and his Syrian counterpart will focus on ‘joint steps to be taken for economic recovery and sustainable stability and security in Syria’, Fahrettin Altun, head of the Turkish presidential communications department, said on the X platform.