Erdogan discusses steps against Kurdish militants with Syrian interim president

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had spoken with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Ankara about steps that should be taken against Kurdish militants in northeastern Syria.

Speaking at a news conference in Ankara alongside al-Sharaa, Erdogan said Turkey is ready to help Syria's new rulers in the battle against the extremist group, Islamic State, and Kurdish militants.

The Turkish leader also said he believes the voluntary return of Syrian migrants in Turkey will accelerate once Syria becomes more stable.

He said Turkey would continue to demand the lifting of international sanctions on Syria, which were imposed during the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad, adding that it is important for Arab and Muslim states to support the government in Damascus - financially and in other ways - during the transition period.

The leader of the Syrian rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad last November was appointed interim Syrian president in January of this year.

Ahmad Al-Sharaa, a rebel once affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is the leader of the group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terrorist organization designated by the United States.

Al-Sharaa, during the joint press conference with Erdogan, said that his government seeks a "strategic partnership" with Turkey and invited the Turkish leader to visit Syria, as relations between the two countries continue to improve.

"We are working to build a strategic partnership with Turkey to combat security threats in the region, in order to achieve lasting security and stability in Syria and Turkey," he said.

Ankara severed ties with Damascus in 2011, following the start of the Syrian civil war. During the war, Turkey supported rebels seeking to oust Assad.

In recent years, Turkey has repeatedly carried out attacks in Syria, but also in Iraq, against targets it suspects are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a banned Kurdish separatist group that launched an insurgency against Turkey in the 1980s.

The PKK has been declared a terrorist organization by Turkey's Western allies, including the United States./REL