Turkish Foreign Minister Temporarily "Missing" Revealed at the White House

Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. This was a historic event, as it was the first visit by a serving Syrian president to the US since the country's independence in 1946.

Al-Shara is a former commander of the rebels who overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and took office as interim leader of Syria in early 2025.

The main goal of his visit to the United States is to secure the removal of US sanctions on Syria. Last Thursday, the UN Security Council lifted sanctions on al-Shara and the Syrian foreign minister ("targeted at members and supporters of ISIS and al-Qaeda"). Trump suspended the US sanctions on Syria for six months, but their complete lifting remains uncertain due to opposition from congressmen who fear an unconditional release of Damascus from the restrictions.

Ash-Shara was not greeted by Trump at the entrance to the White House, as is typical protocol for foreign leaders before meeting with the US president, and the two did not pose for a photo together.

Al-Shary's visit to Washington coincided with the trip to the US capital of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The visit was unexpected, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday in a one-sentence statement. In the United States, Fidan was scheduled to hold talks on bilateral relations with the United States and key regional issues. The Turkish Foreign Minister was expected to focus on negotiations on the lifting of sanctions imposed on Turkey under the Confederation of Armed Forces (CAATSA) over the purchase of Russian S-400 missiles, as well as Turkey's efforts to return to the F-35 fighter jet program and purchase new F-16s. The 2019 sanctions excluded Turkey from the production consortium. Ankara is also seeking a waiver from the Trump administration on the sale of engines for its first domestically manufactured Kaan fighter jet, whose mass production is dependent on US engine sales.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, an alarmist post appeared on X by Radip Soylu, head of the Turkish office of the Middle East Eye news agency.

" Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan has disappeared in Washington. No one knows where he is, " Soylu wrote.

Hakan Fidan found himself in the White House, where he met with Secretary of State Marc Rubio.

Commentators, however, are puzzled by the coincidence of visits to the White House by the Syrian president and the Turkish foreign minister.

Because Trump's meeting with al-Shar was closed to the media, speculation arose that Fidan also attended.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement stating that, in addition to the Trump-Esh-Shara talks, a trilateral meeting between Secretary of State Mark Rubio and the Turkish and Syrian Foreign Ministers, Hakan Fidan and Assad al-Shayban, also took place at the White House.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in a statement that Donald Trump stressed the importance of the technical working meeting of the foreign ministers, devoted to discussing the agreements reached by both presidents and establishing mechanisms for their implementation.

Ankara became Damascus's closest regional ally after the fall of the Syrian regime. Since then, Turkey has sought to bolster al-Shary's image so he can consolidate his power in Damascus, while simultaneously seeking to maintain influence over its southern neighbor.

The talks between Shary and Trump were expected to cover issues closely related to Turkey's security and economic interests, including the post-war reconstruction of Syria and the future of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Meanwhile, Turkey considers the SDF a serious threat due to its close ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy within Turkey since 1984. Ankara seeks to disarm the SDF and integrate it into the Syrian army as part of ongoing US-led negotiations.

The SDF, in turn, seeks to join the Syrian army, but maintains the integrity of its forces to ensure local security. Damascus, in turn, demands the complete disarmament and integration of SDF fighters as units to restore central government control.