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Syria’s Assad terms Turkey rapprochement efforts as unsuccessful
“The initiatives did not yield any results worth mentioning despite the seriousness and genuine keenness of mediators,” Assad said on Sunday in a speech to the Syrian parliament, referring to recent conciliation efforts by Russia, Iran and Iraq.
Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the foreign-backed war in Syria, in which Ankara supported rebels, Al Jazeera reported.
“The solution is openness,” Assad said. “Restoring a relationship requires first removing the causes that led to its destruction.”
The Syrian president also made clear that while he wants Turkish troops to withdraw from Syria, that was not a condition for talks.
“It’s not correct what was announced by some Turkish officials recently, that Syria said if there is no withdrawal, it will not meet with the Turks,” Assad said. “This talk is far from reality,” he added.
In July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been a fervent supporter of Syrian rebels, said he would extend an invitation to Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations.
Assad said later that month that he was open to meeting Erdogan but it depended on the encounter’s “content”, noting Turkey’s presence in Syria was a key sticking point.