Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his desire to meet with President Bashar al-Assad, stating that he could extend an invitation to President Assad at any moment.
Erdogan confirmed on Sunday afternoon in a press statement that he would extend his invitation to President Assad soon, adding, “We hope to restore Turkish-Syrian relations to what they were in the past.”
Erdogan explained that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani have approaches to mediating between Syria and Turkey.
Hassan Kojar: If Damascus Supports Dialogue, We’re Also Ready
Erdogan pointed out that Ankara is ready to take a step to improve relations with Damascus once Damascus takes an initiative in that direction.
On July 4, Erdogan confirmed in an interview with reporters on a plane while returning from Kazakhstan, that he and his Russian counterpart might send an invitation to President Bashar Assad, noting that “if Mr. Putin can visit Turkey, it would be the beginning of a new path.”
Earlier, press leaks confirmed that the reactivation of this track received wide Arab support, especially from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as support from Russia, China, and Iran. Sources quoted by the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported that the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, will witness an upcoming Syria-Turkey meeting, explaining that this step will be the beginning of a long negotiation process that may lead to political and field understandings.
The sources pointed out that the Turkish side had asked Moscow and Baghdad to sit at a bilateral dialogue table with the Syrian side without the presence of any third party and away from the media to discuss all the details necessary to restore relations between the two countries to their previous state.
A stalemate has prevailed in recent months on the path of Syrian-Turkish rapprochement. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on March 3 in a press conference at the end of the Third Antalya Diplomatic Forum held in Ankara: “The conditions are not suitable for normalization with Damascus,” explaining that he discussed the Syrian issue in detail with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during their meeting on the sidelines of the forum.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
