The leader of Turkey's non-parliamentary Vatan party, Dogu Perincek, believes that the process of establishing direct contacts between Ankara and Damascus will be fast, after an 11-year break caused by the crisis in bilateral relations and the civil war in Syria. He expressed this opinion in an interview with Halk TV on Thursday.
"In my opinion, [the process] will be quick. The rapprochement between Turkey and Russia, Turkey and Iran, Turkey and China is tied to Syria, it will play a key role in this process," Perincek said.
He added that he will visit Syria within 10 to 15 days at the head of his party's delegation for talks with President Bashar al-Assad at his personal invitation. "We have been invited throughout seven or eight months. Our party has held talks in Moscow. We are negotiating with Iran, we are also in contact with the Turkish authorities, although they don't control us or govern us. "Ultimately, it's about clearing the territory of Syria from terrorists, ensuring its territorial integrity, creating conditions for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland," Perincek noted.
The Vatan party leader added that the plane with the party delegation will fly from Ankara to Damascus and will be the first direct flight between the two capitals in 10 years.
Last Monday, Hayati Yazici, deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, did not rule out the possibility of direct contacts between Ankara and Damascus. Devlet Bahceli, chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, which is considered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's partner in the ruling coalition, also announced the possibility of such a dialogue.
The Motherland party holds anti-American positions. The party has repeatedly called on the Turkish government to close US military bases in the country, withdraw its request to purchase US F-16 fighter jets, and withdraw from NATO.
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Based on materials from TASS