President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s expected visit to Damascus has returned to the agenda as diplomatic contacts between Turkey and Syria intensify.
Turkey’s Ambassador to Damascus Nuh Yılmaz made notable statements about President Erdoğan’s visit to Syria in an interview with the “Syria Now / سوريا الآن” platform.
Yılmaz said the visit was expected to take place but that no exact date had yet been set. The ambassador emphasized that scheduling the visit was outside his authority and said the final program would be announced by the Presidency.
Yılmaz pointed to the end of 2026 when discussing his expectation for the timing of the visit.
The Damascus visit was previously planned for around April 21
One of the most significant details in Ambassador Yılmaz’s statements was that Erdoğan’s visit to Damascus had already been scheduled previously.
According to Yılmaz, President Erdoğan was scheduled to travel to Damascus around April 21. However, the visit could not take place because war began in the region and the airspace was closed.
The ambassador said assessments regarding a new date for the visit were continuing in Ankara and expressed their expectation that the visit would definitely take place at a later stage.
“Our president is in love with Damascus”
Nuh Yılmaz’s most notable remarks in the interview concerned President Erdoğan’s interest in Damascus.
Yılmaz said Erdoğan wanted to visit Damascus and pray at the Umayyad Mosque, describing the president as “in love with Damascus.”
Ambassador Yılmaz said Erdoğan wanted to meet the people of Damascus, reconnect with the city’s culture and visit the Umayyad Mosque.
If the visit takes place, the sight of Erdoğan meeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus is expected to become one of the most important symbols of the new era between the two countries.
Erdoğan–Sharaa contacts have accelerated in recent months
High-level diplomatic contacts between Turkey and Syria have increased significantly in recent months.
President Erdoğan and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa most recently met on July 8 on the sidelines of the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Ankara. According to a statement from the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency, they discussed bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria as well as regional developments.
During the meeting, Erdoğan emphasized that efforts to develop cooperation between Turkey and Syria would continue to expand and that Turkey would continue to stand by the Syrian people.
Erdoğan also said it was vital to keep Syria out of conflicts in the region for the country’s reconstruction.
The visit could become a symbolic milestone for the new era in Damascus
If Erdoğan travels to Damascus, the visit will be one of the most significant diplomatic developments in Turkey–Syria relations in recent years.
The restoration of Turkey’s diplomatic representation in Damascus to embassy status, Nuh Yılmaz’s appointment as ambassador and the increase in reciprocal high-level visits between Ankara and Syria’s new administration have accelerated the normalization process in relations between the two countries.
Following Ambassador Yılmaz’s latest statement, attention has now turned to the official schedule for the visit, which Ankara is expected to announce.
However, at this stage, the Presidency has not announced a confirmed date for Erdoğan’s visit to Damascus.
