CORRECTION - Turkish, French president discuss Syria, bilateral ties in phone call

CORRECTS DAY IN LEDE

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held a telephone call on Wednesday focusing on bilateral relations and key regional issues, particularly Syria.

"The call addressed relations between Türkiye and France as well as regional and global matters," the Turkish Communications Directorate said on X.

Erdogan voiced his approval of "France's decision to reopen its embassy in Syria," calling it a positive step for international engagement in the region, according to the directorate.

Türkiye also recently reopened its embassy in Damascus, Syria’s capital, in the wake of the Dec. 8 fall of the Assad regime.

The two leaders also addressed "Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty" in the post-Assad era, with Erdogan stressing the importance of maintaining both.

He emphasized ongoing efforts to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, calling "international community" to "cooperate" in order to ensure "sustainable conditions" for their stay and to support vital "reconstruction and amelioration" efforts in Syria.

During the Syrian civil war, some 4 million Syrians took shelter in Türkiye, more than any other country in the world.

Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.​​​​​​​