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Erdogan Reiterates Willingness to Meet Assad

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan affirmed on September 19 that Erdogan is prepared to engage with Assad.
Erdogan Reiterates Willingness to Meet Assad

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his eagerness to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, stating that Turkey is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding this proposal.

Erdogan remarked, “We are ready to meet with President Assad, and we are waiting for a response to our invitation for a meeting,” as reported by the Turkish agency Anadolu.

This statement follows comments from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who affirmed on September 19 that Erdogan is prepared to engage with Assad, noting, “Our president has decided that this must happen now.”

Fidan further elaborated that indirect talks between Ankara and Damascus have been ongoing at various intelligence and military levels.

In contrast, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad stated on September 11 that “there will be no dealings with the Turkish side until our demands are met,” according to al-Masry al-Youm.

President Assad addressed the possibility of a meeting with Erdogan on July 15, saying, “If the meeting leads to results, or if it serves the country’s interests, I will do it.” He emphasized that “the issue lies not in the meeting itself, but in the content of the discussion.”

  

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.

 

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