Hakan Fidan and Abu Mohammed al-Jolani held a meeting in Sunday in Damascus.
Al-Jolani said in a joint press conference with the Turkish Foreign Minister after the meeting, "I discussed strengthening relations with Ankara in talks with the Turkish Foreign Minister and he has expressed his readiness to help Syria."
Stating that "we will have strategic relations with Ankara, the HTS leader called Turkey a "friend of the Syrian people".
According to the Anadolu Agency, the commander of the armed rebels ruling Damascus also said that the United States and Western countries should lift sanctions on Syria.
The Turkish Foreign Minister also claimed that the past period under Assad government was a dark period in Syria's history, further claiming "We are moving towards a bright future. We will support the people of Syria and will not abandon them."
Fidan announced that during his meeting with Al-Jolani, he discussed the issue of "stability in Syria and the return of refugees."
The top Turkish diplomat also called for an internal consensus in Syria, saying that, "Arab countries should contact the new Syrian leaders and should hurry in that regard."
MNA