Turkey appoints diplomat for longdefunct Damascus embassy

Turkey appoints diplomat for long-defunct Damascus embassy

Burhan Koroglu has been appointed as the interim charge d’affaires for the Turkish embassy in Damascus.

Also, Syrian children born in Turkey who have never seen their homeland are travelling to Syria for the first time.

Syrians who sought refuge in Turkey during the 13-year war continue to return to their homeland after the collapse of al-Assad’s government.

The US secretry of state also arrived in Ankara on the second leg of his trip to the region. He had been in Aqaba earlier in the day.

“In Ankara, Secretary Blinken will also discuss ongoing bilateral cooperation on shared priorities from counterterrorism to regional stability while meeting with senior government officials of Turkey, a valued NATO ally,” according to the State Department.

A US official said Blinken immediately went into talks with President Erdogan “in the VIP lounge” at Ankara’s Esenboga airport.

The meeting comes as the Kurdish US-backed SDF forces have continued to clash with the Turkish-backed SNA forces in Syria. Blinken earlier called US support for the SDF “critical”.

White House National Security Adviser Sullivan was asked earlier Thursday if there would be any “red lines” in those clashes. He declined to outline any parameters, but said the US is “very deeply” involved in conversations with both Turkey and the SDF.

“The conversations are serious. They’re intense, they’re ongoing,” he said.

source: tehrantimes.com