Erdogan Open To Restoring Relations With Assad, Extends Invitation for Talks

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday that Turkey was poised to extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar Assad for talks aimed at restoring relations between the two nations. Erdogan expressed his willingness to mend ties with Syria, which were severed in 2011 following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

“We will extend our invitation to Assad. With this invitation, we want to restore Turkey-Syria relations to the same level as in the past. Our invitation may be extended at any time,” Erdogan stated, according to a presidential readout of his interview with Turkish media.

Turkey has played a significant role in the Syrian conflict, supporting rebel factions seeking to overthrow Assad and conducting multiple cross-border military operations to establish a “safe zone” in northern Syria. These areas are currently under Turkish military control.

During a conversation with reporters on his return flight from Berlin, Erdogan emphasized that Ankara would respond positively to any constructive moves from Damascus. He also mentioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Iraqi Prime Minister could facilitate these diplomatic efforts.

“We have now arrived at a point where if Bashar Assad takes a step towards improving relations with Turkey, we will also show that approach towards him,” Erdogan said. “Putin and the Iraqi prime minister have an approach for talks in Turkey. We are talking about mediation everywhere. Why not with our neighbor?”

While Erdogan has not ruled out a potential meeting with Assad, Syrian officials have maintained that normalization of ties would require Turkey to withdraw its troops from the rebel-held northwest region of Syria.