Turkish foreign minister travels to Syria as relations warm

Istanbul - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Tuesday traveled to Syria for the first meeting of a high-level strategic council the two countries recently established. Davutoglu, who is being accompanied by 10 cabinet members, would also sign an agreement with his Syrian counterpart to abolish visa requirements between the two countries.

His visit is part of a marked warming in relations between Turkey and Syria, who almost went to war in the late 1990s, after Ankara accused Damascus of providing support to the banned separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

As part of a new foreign policy approach, which seeks to reduce problems with its neighbors and to engage more with the Middle East, Ankara has worked to quickly strengthen its ties with Damascus.

Turkey, which has a long-standing relationship with Israel, also helped broker several meetings last year between Syrian and Israeli officials.