Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told a Turkish newspaper on Wednesday that Syria would develop strategic ties with Turkey. from now on.
Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed Jolani, said Syrians who have taken refuge in Turkey are treated better there than anywhere else.
“I hope Syria will not forget this kindness,” the HTS leader told Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak.
“There will be a strategic relationship. Turkey has many priorities in rebuilding a new state in Syria,” he added.
“There will also be mutual commercial relations. We trust Turkey in terms of transferring its experience in economic development to Syria.”
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Sharaa added that the success of the Syrian revolution is also a cause for celebration for the Turkish people.
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“This victory is not only a victory for the Syrian people, but also for the Turkish people,” he said.
Turkey hosts nearly 3 million Syrian refugees, but Turkish officials say the total number of Syrians in the country at any given time is closer to 5 million.
The Turkish government believes that the new Syrian government must engage with all regional countries, including the Gulf states, where suspicions of Islamic-oriented movements are growing.
Asked if he intended to spread the revolution to other Muslim countries, Shaller said his movement had no right to interfere in the affairs of other countries.
“We have no intention of taking on any task beyond our capabilities that would divert us from our primary responsibility to our own people, such as solving all the problems of the Islamic world,” he said.
“We strive to establish and develop relations with all countries in a way that benefits the nation.”
