Turkiye's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday hailed Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa for his "strong commitment" to fighting terror as the newly installed interim president made his first visit to Turkiye.
Sharaa flew to Ankara from Saudi Arabia where he had sought Riyadh's support to fund Syria's reconstruction and revive its economy after 13 years of civil war.
"I would like to express our satisfaction for the strong commitment my brother Ahmed al-Sharaa has shown in the fight against terrorism," Erdogan said after the pair held talks.
"I told (Sharaa) we are ready to provide the necessary support to Syria in the fight against all kinds of terrorism, whether it be Daesh or the PKK," Erdogan said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
He also reiterated Turkiye's offer to help run prisons holding IS fighters in northeastern Syria, which are currently run by the SDF.
Ankara accuses the SDF of having ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil.
"For the safety of our countries and our region, we have no other option than to join forces towards the same goal," he said.
Sharaa said Turkiye and Syria were "working together on ... a joint strategy to confront security threats in the region" to ensure the safety of both countries.
He also said they had discussed "threats that prevent territorial unity in northeastern Syria" in a clear reference to the SDF, which runs a semi-autonomous Kurdish-led administration that controls swathes of the northeast.
Damascus' new rulers have rejected any form of Kurdish self-rule and urged the SDF to hand over their weapons.
Inviting Erdogan to visit Syria "at the earliest opportunity", Sharaa hailed Turkiye for its willingness to take in millions of Syrians who fled during the civil war, saying his nation would "never forget (Turkiye's) historic stance".
"That significant support is still tangible through Turkiye's ongoing efforts to ensure the success of the current leadership in Syria politically and economically," he said.
Last month, Syria's top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani pledged that Damascus would never allow its territory to be used as a staging ground for threats against Turkiye, saying the new leadership would "work on removing these threats".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on Tuesday. AFP