Top diplomats from numerous Western and Arab nations will land in Jordan over the weekend to attend a Syria crisis summit, following the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad, Amman’s foreign ministry announced Thursday.
The Saturday gathering “to discuss developments in Syria” will include foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Qatar.
They will also convene with their Turkish and U.S. counterparts, the EU’s foreign policy chief and the U.N. envoy for Syria, the statement said.
Opposition forces toppled Assad following a 12-day lightning offensive that marked one of the biggest turning points for the Middle East in generations, ending more than 50 years of brutal rule by the Assad family.
The talks in the Red Sea city of Aqaba aim “to support an inclusive, Syrian-led political process consistent with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254,” the statement added.
The primary objective is “to establish a transitional framework that aligns with the aspirations of the Syrian people and seeks to rebuild state institutions, safeguard Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and ensure security, stability, and the rights of all citizens.”
The summit would follow U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visits to Jordan and Türkiye as part of a regional tour to discuss the situation in Syria.
Blinken flew from the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba to Ankara on Thursday and was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He is expected to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, on Friday.
Both Türkiye and the U.S. have said they wanted the new Syrian administration to be inclusive and for Syrians to determine their own future.
Türkiye was expected to put heavy emphasis on its security concerns in Syria, where it has been fighting the PKK terrorist group wing YPG, which is backed by Washington under the guise of a fight against the Daesh terrorist group.
Later on Thursday, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry appointed a temporary charge d’affaires to its embassy in Damascus, Anadolu Agency reported.
Türkiye closed its embassy in late March 2012, a year after Syria’s civil war began, due to the deteriorating security situation amid calls by the Turkish government for Assad to step down.