Foreign
TURKEY is committed to normalising ties with neighbouring Syria, including direct talks with President Bashar al-Assad, but it cannot withdraw its military from Syria’s north, said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“We are not against meeting with Assad; we could meet but the way they approach us is what matters,” Erdoğan said in Istanbul, ahead of his departure for a Gulf tour.
Earlier in March, al-Assad said he would only meet Erdoğan if and when Turkey was ready to “completely leave the Syrian territories,” referring to some northern Syrian enclaves.
Ankara will not leave northern Syria as it continues its “anti-terror” fight along its borders, Erdoğan said on Monday.
“There can be no such thing. We are fighting against terrorism there,” he said, arguing Assad won’t ask other countries to do the same, without naming any state.
Currently, U.S. and Russia are among the top powers that have a military presence in Syria.
There was no immediate reaction from Damascus on Monday, but some Syrian observers, close to the government, said they believe Erdoğan is trying to assess if al-Assad’s stance has changed since March.
Turkey, which has been supporting Syrian opposition forces since an uprising began in 2011, controls areas in northern Syria and has stated that it plans to extend this to a wide border strip.
Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and Erdoğan is under public pressure to relocate these people back to their homeland. (dpa/NAN)
A.
– July 17, 2023 @ 17:11 GMT |
Tags: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
