Fidan answered journalists' questions about his meetings in Washington, noting that he had received an invitation from the United States to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Steve Witkopf, Special Representative of US President Donald Trump, US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Representative for Syria Tom Barrack, and several other White House officials.
He noted that his visit coincided with that of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, adding that he was invited to participate in part of the meeting between al-Sharaa, Trump and their team, and to convey the greetings of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to his American counterpart.
He noted that he discussed the general Turkish vision regarding Syria and opportunities for cooperation with the United States, in addition to discussing several issues related to Syria’s development, unity, solidarity, and regional peace and security.
Fidan stated that he held a lengthy meeting later at the White House, attended by Rubio, Woitkov, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sheibani, and Barak, and that US Vice President JD Vance also joined the meeting.
He noted that he had informed President Erdogan of the results of his discussions in Washington, stressing that "Trump's approach to the Syrian issue was very constructive, and Turkey views it positively."
He spoke about the importance of permanently lifting the sanctions imposed on Syria, known as the "Caesar Act," in order to help the Syrian economy recover, while warning that if the problems in Syria are not managed carefully, they could pose a threat to the country's unity.
Palestinian file
The Turkish minister reported that he held a separate meeting with Wittkov and Barak, and discussed with them many details related to the Palestinian file, which Wittkov is responsible for, including the ongoing problems related to the agreed ceasefire in Gaza.
He said, "In Turkey, stopping the genocide in Gaza and starting the entry of humanitarian aid is one of our top priorities," indicating that "the ceasefire in Gaza, and the ongoing process regarding the draft resolution being discussed in the UN Security Council, are of utmost importance."
He added: "A number of actors believe that such a Security Council resolution is necessary to implement the subsequent phases of the announced comprehensive peace agreement," stressing that Ankara believes that implementing all phases of the peace plan is beneficial to everyone.
Russian-Ukrainian War
Fidan referred to discussions he had regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, saying: "We discussed what can be done at this critical stage to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, and how to work with the United States on this issue."
Fidan also touched on the United States’ position on the Iranian nuclear negotiations and the steps that should be taken to move forward, explaining that he had exchanged views extensively on this issue, given its importance to the stability of the region.