Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced on Tuesday via X that he will make an official visit to Türkiye on Wednesday.

This will be the first such visit since the opposition forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad last month.

"We will represent the new Syria tomorrow in the first official visit to the Turkish Republic, which has not abandoned the Syrian people for 14 years," al-Shaibani said on X (formerly Twitter).

Türkiye has had a complex relationship with Syria throughout the civil war that began in 2011, initially backing armed groups against Assad's regime following the harsh crackdown on anti-government protests. The country has since maintained a strategic alliance with "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham," which played a pivotal role in the recent offensive that led to Assad's downfall, thereby securing a direct communication channel with the new Damascus government.

The visit comes at a time when the fate of nearly three million Syrian refugees in Türkiye is in question, with the possibility of their return now appearing more feasible due to the change in Syrian leadership.

In related developments, the head of Syria’s electricity authority announced last week that a Turkish power ship would be dispatched to bolster energy supplies, following a relaxation of U.S. sanctions.

However, the situation in northern Syria remains tense, with Türkiye launching several operations since 2016 against what it labels as Kurdish terrorist groups. Recent clashes, backed by Turkish airstrikes, have resulted in numerous casualties, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

This visit by al-Shaibani follows a series of diplomatic engagements with Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Jordan, as well as receiving visits from the foreign ministers of Italy, France, and Germany in Damascus. (ILKHA)