The Turkish presidency announced that Emine Erdogan welcomed al-Daroubi at the presidential palace in Ankara, releasing an official photograph of their meeting [Getty]
Latifa Al-Daroubi, the wife of Syria’s transitional President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, made her first public appearance on Tuesday during a high-profile visit to Ankara, drawing widespread attention for her symbolic debut alongside Turkey’s First Lady.
Al-Daroubi was welcomed by Emine Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, after which the Turkish presidency released an official photograph of their meeting.
The Syrian first lady was also featured in an image shared by Emine on her official Instagram account, under the caption: “I was very pleased to host the esteemed Latifa Al-Daroubi, the wife of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, who is on an official visit to our country today.”
Emine added: “We had the opportunity to discuss several important issues, including humanitarian aid, social solidarity, women’s empowerment, and education. In particular, we explored the steps we can take together for women and children, who suffer the most from war across the world.”
The image of the two first ladies circulated widely on platforms such as X and Instagram, with users expressing admiration and reflecting on the symbolism of the meeting.
“First Lady Latifa Al-Daroubi – I hope she will have a strong and remarkable presence in society,” one X user wrote.
The meeting between the two first ladies was part of the official schedule for Al-Sharaa’s visit to Turkey, which took place at Ankara’s invitation.
The visit marked a turning point in Syrian-Turkish relations as Al-Sharaa and President Tayyip Erdogan discussed key security, political, and economic issues while both sides signalled a willingness to deepen cooperation after years of severed ties.
The visit came just days after Al-Daroubi made a public appearance in Mecca, where she accompanied her husband on his first official foreign visit to Saudi Arabia since taking office.
Relations between Ankara and Damascus were severed in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian war, during which Turkey supported the Syrian opposition in its bid to oust former President Bashar al-Assad.
However, with Syria undergoing a transitional phase under Al-Sharaa’s leadership, both nations are now working towards reconciliation.
