Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today, Saturday, September 21, that his country has extended an invitation to the Syrian regime to normalize relations and is awaiting a response from the other side.

Erdoğan added, “We are ready for this; as two states with Muslim populations, we want to achieve this unity and solidarity as soon as possible,” expressing his hope that a new era in relations between the two countries will begin.

During a press conference at the reception house at Atatürk Airport before heading to New York to participate in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Turkish President explained that communications with Damascus have been ongoing for a while, especially as tensions in the region have increased, noting that dialogue with other countries has become more important.

Erdoğan will deliver a speech at the General Assembly meetings in which he will clarify that the tension in Syria must end and that the instability there is due to “state terrorism,” particularly from “terrorist organizations” and Israel, according to him.

According to the Turkish President, Ankara and Damascus will work together to end the tension and ensure peace and stability across all Syrian territories. “We see that the administration in Damascus has been keen on avoiding conflict in Syria for a while, and this situation provides a favorable environment for the millions of Syrians abroad who are waiting to return to their homeland,” Erdoğan added.

A Turkish solution

On September 19, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that some areas in Syria with problems need to be managed before normalizing relations between Turkey and Syria.

The Turkish minister questioned, “Why are there millions of Syrian refugees abroad? The government that has problems with its people and the opposition has produced millions of refugees, over three million of whom came to Turkey, and five million live in areas where Turkey and Turkey’s friends are active in Syria.”

Fidan explained at the time that if the regime had not been established in northwestern Syria, an additional five million people would have come to Turkey, justifying the Turkish forces’ presence in northwestern Syria by the presence of five million people in the region, pointing out that “there are those who do not feel safe in their relations with the regime.”

He also emphasized that Turkey’s concerns about further migration cannot be isolated unless this bloc establishes a relationship of peace and trust with the regime. “There is no regime that prevents more refugees from coming to Turkey voluntarily, let alone under the current situation.”

Fidan said, “I believe that if there is a solution in the way Turkey wants, Syria will be able to solve all the other problems more easily.”