Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed Turkey's openness to initiatives aimed at normalizing relations with neighboring Syria.
"We are open to initiatives for normalization with Syria. There are no reasons to not establish diplomatic relations. We can act together, as we did in the past. We have no intention of interfering in Syria's internal affairs. You know that we were friends with [Syrian President Bashar] Assad and his family. I see no reason not to resume our friendship," Erdogan said to journalists in Istanbul.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while receiving Russian President’s Special Envoy for Syrian settlement Alexander Lavrentiev on June 26, stated that Damascus is open to all initiatives aimed at improving relations with Turkey, provided that the process is based on respect for Syria's sovereignty and the Syrian state's desire to regain control over its entire territory.
On April 25, 2023, Moscow hosted four-party talks involving the defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. These discussions focused on practical steps to enhance security in Syria and normalize Syrian-Turkish relations. On July 9 of the same year, Lavrentiev indicated that the leaders of Syria and Turkey could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin once the work on a roadmap for Syrian-Turkish relations is completed.
However, in a later interview with Sky News Arabia, Assad ruled out the possibility of negotiations with Erdogan as long as Turkish troops remain on Syrian territory.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS