A Turkish newspaper reported that the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may take place by next August at a checkpoint on the Syrian-Turkish border.
Turkish and Syrian officials have held three rounds of talks over the past month on normalizing bilateral relations and organizing the first meeting between Erdogan and Assad. Initially, Iraq was considered as a meeting place, but Ankara is now focusing on the Kassab border crossing between Turkey and Syria.
“The process is expected to develop rapidly, and the two leaders will take pictures together in August at the latest.”
Russian sources familiar with the visit of Assad to Russia last Thursday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not ask Assad to meet with Erdogan. According to Russia Today, the possible meeting between Assad and Erdogan was not discussed.
The sources added that Putin did not request Assad to meet with Erdogan, noting that “the Russian president is fully informed in advance through his special envoy Alexander Lavrentyev on Assad’s position on the relationship with Turkey.” The sources emphasized that any relationship between Assad and Turkey “must be based on foundations and references regarding the Turkish withdrawal from Syrian territory as well as on combating all terrorist organizations in northern Syria.”
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.
