Türkiye on Tuesday welcomed a U.S. decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying the move would help eliminate a major obstacle to the country's economic recovery and reconstruction.
“We welcome the U.S. decision to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Türkiye had long supported such a step and that Washington's decision would help clear one of the most significant hurdles facing Syria's economic recovery and reconstruction.
Türkiye also said it believed the move would give fresh momentum to efforts to strengthen Syria's ties with the international community and establish lasting security and stability in the country.
“At this stage, we call on the international community to unite its efforts toward the goal of a prosperous Syria and to fulfill its responsibilities to bring an end to aggressive actions that jeopardize this vision,” the ministry said.
The United States formally removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism on Monday, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
In a separate move, the Treasury Department said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had been removed from its Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also removed HTS from its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.
Washington had designated Syria a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979.
Ankara has reaffirmed unwavering support for Syria in its fight against terrorist groups and its southern neighbor's reconstruction, emphasizing that Türkiye is ready to deepen cooperation on security, reconstruction and regional stability.
Recently, in a statement issued Aug. 18, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on the military facility, located in the Idlib countryside, in the early hours of Tuesday.
"We strongly condemn the airstrikes carried out by Israel early this morning against the Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base in the countryside of Syria's Idlib," the ministry said.
The ministry criticized Israel for "recklessly" continuing attacks targeting Syria's infrastructure and capabilities while violating the country's territorial integrity and unity.
Ankara also urged the international community to take a firmer stance against Israel's increasingly aggressive actions in Syria.
The U.S. is seeking to establish a military coordination mechanism involving Türkiye, Syria and Israel to reduce the risk of further escalation, Washington's Syria envoy Tom Barrack said following an Israeli strike on a Syrian air base.
Barrack, who is also U.S. ambassador to Türkiye, said Türkiye had not been warned about the Israeli strikes, "and consequently observed the aircraft heading north toward its territory and therefore could have reasonably prepared its own response," referring to possible Turkish military reaction.
Moreover, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has expressed gratitude to Türkiye for its assistance in rebuilding Syria's armed forces, affirming that Damascus will not abandon Ankara’s support while anticipating that recently severed security talks with Israel could soon resume.
Addressing foreign policy priorities and regional security dynamics, al-Shaibani highlighted Syria's expanding military cooperation and training initiatives with regional partners, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, with a particular emphasis on contributions from Türkiye.
"Syria is grateful to Türkiye for its support in rebuilding its army, and we will not give up this support," al-Shaibani said.
In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Damascus' top diplomat also addressed recent Israeli airstrikes on the air base, rejecting Israeli claims that Damascus intended to permit Turkish forces to deploy at the site.
