Erdogan discusses tackling Kurdish militants with Syria's Sharaa in Ankara

ANKARA, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and Syria’s newly appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, had discussed in Ankara on Tuesday steps to be taken against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria.

Speaking alongside Sharaa at a news conference in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey was ready to help Syria’s new leadership in the battle against both Islamic State and Kurdish militants.

Erdogan also said he believed the voluntary return of Syrian migrants would accelerate as Syria became more stable.

He said Turkey would continue to press for the lifting of international sanctions imposed on Syria during former President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, adding that it was important for Arab and Muslim countries to support the new Damascus government – financially and otherwise – in the period of transition.

Sharaa said his government sought a “strategic partnership” with Turkey, and he invited Erdogan to visit Syria soon as relations between the two neighbours continue to thaw.

“We are working on building a strategic partnership with Turkey to confront the security threats in the region to guarantee permanent security and stability to Syria and Turkey”, Sharaa said.

Ankara severed ties with Damascus in 2011 after the outbreak of Syria’s civil war, during which it supported rebels seeking to oust Assad.

During his visit to Turkey, Sharaa has also discussed economic ties as Turkish transport and manufacturing firms eye big expansion plans for Syria in what some expect to be a tripling of trade.