Striking Claim from Syria After Erdoğan’s remarks about Syria’s President Assad: “Talks to Begin”

Following President Erdoğan’s some remarks about President Assad, it has been claimed that negotiations between Ankara and Damascus will resume. According to Syrian media, officials from both countries will meet in Baghdad at Turkey’s request.

Steps toward normalization between Ankara and Damascus, which have been stalled for a long time, are accelerating with mutual statements.

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, when reminded last week of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s words, “We are open to all initiatives and efforts that will ensure and guarantee the territorial integrity of Syria and normalize our relations with Turkey,” responded to the question, “Will diplomatic relations be established with Syria?” voicing following statement:

ERDOGAN: “THERE IS NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT KEEP OUT RELATIONS WITH SYRIA LIVELY AGAIN”

“There is no reason not to. Just as we were together in the past, we will act together in the same way again. We have no intention of interfering in Syria’s internal affairs. The Syrian people are a community with whom we have lived together as brotherly peoples. If we kept our relations with Syria very, very lively in the past, even to the extent of family meetings, you know we had meetings with Mr. Assad. There is absolutely no reason why it can’t happen tomorrow, it will happen again.”

AL WATAN REPORTS TURKISH AND SYRIAN OFFICIALS TO MEET SOON

The pro-Syrian government newspaper Al Watan reported that Syrian and Turkish officials would soon meet in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, to re-establish diplomatic relations that have been cut off for 12 years.

Citing Syrian sources, the report stated that the request for the resumption of long-suspended talks came from Turkey. According to the sources, Ankara contacted Russia and Iraq, asking for a closed-door meeting with Syria that would not involve third parties.

Al Watan noted that the rapprochement between Turkey and Syria received significant support from Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, as well as from Russia, China, and Iran.

Defense and foreign ministers from both countries met in 2022, but talks were interrupted. The Assad regime has repeatedly conditioned normalization on the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syrian territory.