Turkey and Syria have agreed to reevaluate customs tariffs for certain products and they discussed economic and trade relations during meetings in Damascus, the Turkish trade ministry said on Friday.

Assad’s final ouster appeared abrupt, it had its roots in Syria’s 2011 antigovernment protests, and Syrians will now face many of the same problems that beset other Arab countries after their Arab Spring revolutions.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged for a unified effort to combat Islamic State and Kurdish militants after his Baghdad talks. Turkey, branding the YPG and PKK as terrorists, seeks regional support and new cooperation strategies.

Syria 's de-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa revealed on Thursday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had congratulated him on his victory last month during a phone call following the collapse of former president Bashar al-Assad's government. This marks the first time Sharaa has acknowledged directly engaging with a head of state.

No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes. Turkey is home to more than 3m Syrian refugees, and wants Syria to be safe enough for many to return.

Ankara eyes lower customs duties and the reactivation of a free trade deal, though there are Syrian concerns it will cost Damascus economic autonomy

Commercial flights between Turkey and Syria have resumed after 13 years with a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Damascus.

Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential power brokers in Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad last month, ending his family's brutal five-decade rule.

More than 50,000 Syrian refugees have left Turkey to return home since Bashar al-Assad's ouster. But for many others living in the country, the thought raises a host of worrying questions. In Altindag,

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan underscored the need to grant Syria's new administration the opportunity to confront the issue of Kurdish militants operating within its borders. He emphasised that Turkish forces would not hesitate to act decisively should this matter remain unresolved.

Turkish Airlines will resume its flights to Damascus, Syria, next week after a halt of more than a decade, officials said Wednesday following a visit by a delegation of Syria’s new, Turkey-backed rulers.

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