Erdogan-Assad Meeting May Happen with Putin's Support

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Assad may hold a meeting in Moscow in the near future, with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The final date will be determined based on the results of Putin's upcoming visit to Turkey, reports the Aydınlık newspaper.

Previously, Erdogan stated that Assad has demonstrated an observing position in the process of normalizing relations between Ankara and Damascus, noting that there is no positive sentiment from the Syrian side.

Turkey's chief advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç responded to these reports by stating that a personal meeting between Erdogan and Assad is not planned in the visible future, however, work is being done to organize it.

Regarding the resolution of the Syrian issue, Russia's special representative Alexander Lavrentiev previously stated that the leaders of Syria and Turkey could meet in the presence of Putin to finalize the work related to the roadmap for normalization, which would restore diplomatic relations between the two countries.

However, Assad ruled out the possibility of a personal meeting with Erdogan under conditions where Turkish forces are present in Syrian territory. He believes that negotiating with the Turkish president under the current situation would amount to recognition of Ankara's occupation of northern Syria.

Relations between Ankara and Damascus deteriorated after the outbreak of conflict in Syria in 2011, during which large groups of Syrian refugees crossed into Turkey. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed.

In December of last year, the first negotiations between the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria in the last 11 years took place in Russia. Assad stated that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory is a necessary condition for the normalization of relations between Damascus and Ankara.