In Turkey, new syrian leader and Erdogan pledge to work together

Syria’s new interim leader, meeting on Tuesday with the president of Turkey, thanked him for backing the rebel forces that toppled the Assad dictatorship and said he now sought a deep strategic relationship that would benefit both their countries.

The meeting was President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first with Ahmed al-Shara. Both countries have a lot riding on their relationship, and the public comments by the two leaders after they met in the Turkish capital, Ankara, made clear that they are both looking to the future.

Mr. al-Shara thanked Mr. Erdogan and his people for their support for Syrian refugees and for the Syrian opposition during the war. He said that Syria sought a “deep, strategic relationship in all fields” that would benefit both countries.