No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes. Turkey is home to more than 3m Syrian refugees, and wants Syria to be safe enough for many to return.

Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential power brokers in Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad last month, ending his family's brutal five-decade rule. NATO member Turkey is now in a position to influence its neighbour's future diplomatically,

CAIRO (Reuters) - Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries. "We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region," he said.

Leaders and monarchs across the Arab world have sent their congratulations to Donald Trump as his second term as president of the United States begins. Syria's new administration said in a statement it was looking forward to improving relations with the US.