EU Commission head to visit Türkiye to discuss latest developments in Syria

The president of the EU Commission announced on Tuesday that she will visit Türkiye to discuss the latest developments in Syria in the wake of the fall of the Assad regime.

Announcing on X that she discussed extensively with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the latest developments in Syria, Ursula von der Leyen said: "We'll meet early next week in Türkiye to discuss what this development means for the region and beyond."

She did not give further details on the visit, but added: "Syria's territorial integrity must be preserved and the minorities, protected."

Following the Nov. 27 outbreak of clashes between anti-regime groups and Assad regime forces, Bashar Assad and his family fled to Russia on Sunday after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963.