Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Ankara on July 8.

Axar.az informs that the two leaders discussed Turkiye-Syria bilateral relations and regional developments, according to a statement by Turkiye's Communications Directorate.

During the meeting, Erdogan said efforts to strengthen cooperation between Turkiye and Syria would continue to intensify and reaffirmed that Ankara would continue to stand by the Syrian people, the Communications Directorate said.

The Turkish president also stressed that keeping Syria out of the conflicts affecting the region is "vital" for rebuilding the country.

The closed-door talks were attended on the Turkish side by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin, and Turkiye's ambassador to Damascus, Nuh Yilmaz.

Earlier, the Syrian leader met with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.