MUSTAFA KUTLAY is a Senior Lecturer at City St George’s, University of London, a Senior Scholar at Istanbul Policy Center, and a co-author, with Mina Toksoz and William Hale, of Industrial Policy in Turkey: Rise, Retreat and Return.

Two recent developments present the new Syrian government with a critical opportunity to stabilize the country. First, US President Donald Trump announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria. Second, the Kurdistan Workers' Party declared it would disband and dissolve itself — a move that will help Damascus to finalize a deal with the Syrian Democratic Forces and integrate it into the new Syrian national army.

The foreign ministers of Turkey, the United States and Syria will meet in southern Turkey on Thursday to discuss details of U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to lift sanctions on Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday.

COMMENTARY: The Vatican and the White House seem to be on the same page when it comes to the peace and survival of Christians in the Middle East.

"We want to want to be sure that he is not a terrorist anymore," senior Israeli official told Newsweek of Syria's Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Two very different meetings are expected to take place today in two distant Turkish cities, both aimed at ending

The US president gets a "lavender-carpet" reception on a whirlwind visit of Gulf countries mainly focused on shoring up investment.

During his Middle East trip, Trump met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and considered removing sanctions on Syria, possibly meeting its president. He also hinted at a Turkey detour to aid Ukraine-Russia peace talks.