Erdogan vows continued support for Syria’s Sharaa, hails Zangezur corridor as regional ‘symbol of accord’

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Ankara would keep backing Syria’s transitional president Ahmed al‑Sharaa and step up efforts to encourage the safe, voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

“We are determined; we will not leave Ahmed al‑Sharaa alone in Syria,” Erdogan told reporters, adding that rebuilding the war‑torn country would “positively affect” ties with Turkey. He said accelerating refugee returns would help stabilise Syria and secure Turkey’s southern border.

Erdogan also described the planned Zangezur corridor — a land link between Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenia — as a project that would benefit “not only Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey but the entire region.” The corridor, he said, should become “a symbol of consensus, not discord,” boosting trade and economic cooperation.