ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he might invite his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al Assad to Turkiye very soon for reconciliation after the two countries severed ties in 2011 due to civil war in Syria.
Erdogan talking to journalists aboard a plane from Berlin after watching Euro 2024 said Ankara may send an invitation to Assad at any moment.
Turkiye which originally supported attempts to topple Assad’s government in 2011, has recently changed its focus to prevent the opening terror corridor in northern Syria. Erdogan has long said he could reconsider relations with Assad.
Speaking to journalists, he said some leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin advised him to hold a meeting with Assad in Turkiye.
“Now we have come to such a point that as soon as Bashar Al Assad takes a step toward improving relations with Turkiye, we will show him the same approach,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan’s remarks come after tensions have increased over the past week against Syrian refugees in Turkiye, and a mob attacking vehicles and properties owned by Syrians in the city of Kayseri.
According to UN data, Turkiye, which hosts some 3.2 million Syrian refugees has been hit by violence several times due to rumours spreading on social media.
The fate of Syrian refugees is also an important issue in Turkish politics, with Erdogan’s opponents in last year’s election pledged to send them back to Syria.
