Erdogan says he is open to hosting Syria’s Assad for reconciliation talks

By Reuters 7 July 2024, 3:47 pm

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the presentation ceremony of letters of confidence to newly appointed Ambassadors at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on September 27, 2023. (Adem Altan/AFP)

Turkey will extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says.

“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 says, according to a presidency readout of an interview by Turkish media.

Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels looking to oust Assad.

Speaking to reporters on his flight back from Berlin, Erdogan also said Ankara would reciprocate any positive steps from Damascus, and that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani could contribute to facilitating the contact.

“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 says.