(MENAFN) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held an unannounced meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday at the White House, diplomatic sources revealed, as the newly installed Syrian leader concluded a groundbreaking summit with US President Donald Trump.

The encounter took place during al-Sharaa's historic visit to Washington—the first time a Syrian head of state has entered the White House since the nation secured independence nearly eight decades ago.

Turkish Foreign Ministry sources confirmed the closed-door discussion occurred, though officials released no details about what was discussed between Fidan and al-Sharaa.

The Turkish diplomat was already scheduled for high-level consultations with multiple US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack.

Speaking afterward to Turkish media outlets, Fidan described the unexpected overlap.

"Of course, my presence at the White House today coincided with the visit of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa," he stated.

Fidan explained that as al-Sharaa conducted separate discussions with Trump and his advisers, he received an invitation to participate.

"I was also present. We conveyed our president's (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) greetings and best wishes to Trump. We then had the opportunity to discuss Türkiye's general views on Syria, opportunities for cooperation with the US, and many other issues related to Syria's development, unity, solidarity, peace and regional security," he added.

The convergence of Turkish and Syrian diplomacy at the White House signals potential coordination among the three nations on Syria's post-conflict trajectory and broader regional stability concerns.

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