Erdogan Open To Meeting Al-Assad, But Not Withdrawing Turkish Troops From Syria

On July 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he is open to talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but would not meet him if a withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria were set as a condition.

Speaking to reporters in Istanbul ahead of his departure for a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Erdogan said Turkey has never “shut the door” to discussions with the Syrian government.

“We can hold a four-party summit [with Syria, Russia and Iran], and I am also open to a meeting with Assad. What matters here is their approach towards us,” Erdogan said.

However, Damascus’s condition of a complete withdrawal of Turkish forces for such a meeting is “unacceptable”, the Turkish president added.

Ankara remains the main backer of Syrian rebels. The Turkish military controls vast parts of Syria’s northern and eastern region. It also maintains dozens of positions in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib, which is ruled by an al-Qaeda offshoot.

Erdogan argued that the Turkish military must remain in Syria to counter Kurdish factions affiliated with the terrorist-designated Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

“We are fighting against terrorism there. How can we withdraw when our country is under continuous threat from terrorists along our border? … We expect a fair approach,” Erdogan said.

Last March, al-Assad said that there was no point in a meeting with Erdogan until Turkey ends its “illegal occupation” of Syria.

Senior Turkish and Syrian officials, including the foreign and defense ministers, held a series of meetings in Moscow in recent months to draw out a plan to normalize relations. However, an agreement is yet to be reached. Damascus appears to be determined to see a Turkish military withdrawal from Syrian territory before taking any additional steps towards Ankara.

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