Erdogan says he may invite Syria’s Assad to Turkiye through Russia mediation

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he may invite Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to Turkiye, amid the advancement of the two countries’ efforts to reconcile and restore diplomatic relations after over a decade.

During his trip to a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakhstan on Friday, Erdogan told a group of journalists who accompanied him that “We, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, may have an invitation to Bashar Assad”.

The Turkish president said that if Putin visits Turkiye soon, as has been on the agenda for months but repeatedly postponed, then “this could be the beginning of a new process. All the years that have passed in Syria have clearly shown everyone that a permanent solution mechanism must be established.”

With Erdogan and Putin having met on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday, it was reported that their discussion included the issue of Syria as a prominent topic. The Russian mediation between Ankara and Damascus comes after the Turkish government’s increased efforts to meet with the Syrian regime and strike a deal with it in recent years, which have failed until now due to Assad’s insistence that Turkiye first fulfil some preconditions such as withdrawing Turkish military forces from northern Syria.

Now, reportedly due to the Russian pressure, the Assad regime is finally ready to meet without those preconditions.

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“We have always extended our hand of friendship to our neighbour Syria, and we will continue to do so”, said Erdogan. “It is essential for Syria, whose infrastructure has been destroyed and its people have become scattered, to get back on its feet and to end the instability”.

He further stated that the “winds of peace that will blow in Syria and the atmosphere of peace that will come to life throughout Syria are also necessary for the return of millions of people scattered across various countries to their countries”.

Erdogan’s comments come after he announced his intentions to the media last week that he is prepared to talk to Assad, resulting in – partially, amongst other causes – widespread protests throughout northern Syria against the Turkish military presence, with many Syrians feeling betrayed, abandoned, and fearful that they would be left to the brutality of Assad’s regime once again.

According to reports, however, Erdogan has insisted that despite the willingness to talk to Assad and restore ties, the Turkish government still expects reforms in Syria and the guarantee of a new social contract which is “fair, honourable, and inclusive”, and which unites the country.

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