Syria's Assad to Meet Erdogan Only after Turkish Withdrawal: FM


Syria's Assad to Meet Erdogan Only after Turkish Withdrawal: FM

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, stated that President Bashar al-Assad will only meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan when Turkey completely withdraws its military forces from northern Syria.

Mekdad emphasized that Damascus would not normalize relations with Turkey as long as it occupies parts of Syrian territory. The remarks were made during an interview with Russia's RT Arabic television news network in Damascus on Sunday.

Mekdad further said that any meeting between Assad and Erdogan would depend on the full withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory. Assad previously stated in March that a meeting with Erdogan would be pointless until Turkey's illegal occupation comes to an end. He emphasized the need for Turkey to demonstrate a clear readiness to exit Syrian territory, cease support for terrorism, and restore the situation that existed before the Syrian war began.

Assad stated, "This is the only situation when it would then be possible to have a meeting between me and Erdogan. Aside from that, what's the value of such a meeting and why would we do it if it would not achieve final results for the war in Syria?"

Relations between Turkey and Syria were severed in March 2012 amidst deadly violence orchestrated by foreign-backed militants. However, after 12 years, the two neighboring countries have taken steps toward reconciliation. Nevertheless, Turkey's deployment of forces in Syria since October 2019 has violated Syria's territorial integrity.

Turkey's military intervention involved backing militants in northeastern Syria and targeting the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Ankara considers the YPG, supported by the US, as a terrorist organization affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has sought an autonomous Kurdish region within Turkey since 1984.

The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria has reported numerous civilian casualties, including children, as a result of the Turkish offensive. Turkey has played a significant role in supporting terrorists throughout the Syrian conflict, which began over a decade ago. Assad and other senior officials have reiterated that the Syrian government will respond through legitimate means to the ongoing ground offensive by Turkish forces and allied Takfiri militants in northern Syria.

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