Deputy Chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party of Turkey Hayati Yazici does not rule out the possibility of establishing direct contacts between Ankara and Damascus after an 11-year break. He said this on air of NTV channel.
"Contacts with Damascus can become direct, the level of relations can be raised. In diplomacy, dialogue is one of the most important ways to resolve existing differences," the broadcaster quoted the politician as saying on Tuesday.
Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, which is considered Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's partner in the ruling coalition, also spoke about the prospects for dialogue between the two countries. "The steps Turkey is taking on the issue of Syria are the right ones. No one should be troubled by statements concerning attempts to establish peace between the Syrian opposition and the regime of [President Bashar] al-Assad," NTV quoted the party leader as saying.
The Türkiye newspaper reported on August 9 that political circles in Ankara are discussing the possibility of a phone conversation between the presidents of Turkey and Syria, following talks between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on August 5.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated on August 11 that talks between Erdogan and al-Assad are not planned. According to him, contacts between Turkey and Syria are currently maintained through the special services. At the same time, Cavusoglu said that 10 months ago he had a brief meeting with his Syrian counterpart in Belgrade in the margins of the conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, during which he said that the only way out of the current situation is political reconciliation and Turkey is ready to contribute to achieving peace between the opposition and the authorities in Damascus. The minister's remarks drew mixed reactions in Turkey, mainly among opponents of its leadership.
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Based on materials from TASS