The foreign ministers of Turkiye and Qatar have visited the Syrian capital of Damascus, both advocating for the country's sovereignty and pledge to help rebuild the war-torn country, the two countries announced.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a talk with de facto Syrian leader and head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday in their first official meeting at the former residence of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Afterwards, the two leaders held a press conference.

Among Turkiye's points of support for the new government, Fidan called for an end to sanctions against Syria, saying that foreign countries "need to mobilize to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return." He also stressed that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), mostly led by YPG and PKK-aligned Kurdish terror groups operating in northeastern Syria should not have a future in the country.

"The territorial integrity of Syria is non-negotiable. We want to reiterate that there is no place for the PKK/YPG in Syria. This terrorist organization is occupying the lands of the Syrian people and stealing their natural resources," Fidan said. "In today's meeting, I once again saw how determined the Syrian people are in their fight against the PKK/YPG. The PKK/YPG must dissolve itself as soon as possible."

The joint press conference was a first for al-Sharaa, who also highlighted the issue of sanctions.

"All the economic sanctions must be lifted, now the predator has gone and only the victims remain," al-Sharaa said.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, both al-Sharaa and Fidan also discussed Turkiye's role in helping the new administration draft an inclusive constitution to protect Syria's minorities.

Additionally, The Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Khulaifi met with al-Sharaa on Monday, pledging to support the new country's economic development after 13 years of civil war, the Sharaa-led government announced on Monday.

Among the pledges by Qatar's foreign ministry was its promise to help restore full operations of the Damascus International Airport through its "humanitarian initiatives.”

Turkiye's anti-Assad policy in Syria began in 2012, when it joined other foreign countries, including Qatar, in supporting opposition groups when the country's civil war began.

As the years progressed however, Turkish influence grew exponentially, becoming the biggest supporter of the anti-Assad groups. Even HTS, the more independent and largest opposition group which now retains de facto control of the country's largest provinces, operated under Turkiye's wing.

HTS used the Turkish Lira as legal tender in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, and some of their troops were reportedly funded and trained by Turkiye.

The lightning offensive by HTS and the more directly Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) which toppled the Assad regime earlier this month was reportedly planned and approved by the Turkish government.

Since 2016, Turkiye has occupied parts of northern Syria to establish a "buffer-zone" along its southern border to both grant Turkiye's 3.7 million Syrian refugees a safe return and to fight the YPG and PKK-aligned SDF.

Currently, reports of Turkish-backed SNA fighters are conducting military operations against the SDF as Turkish economic and military influence in Syria increase.