Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to take steps to ensure that the Syrian regime leader, Bashar al-Assad, responds to the Turkish call for a normalization of relations between the two sides.
Erdogan clarified in statements to Turkish media, reported by the Yeni Şafak newspaper, that he discussed the Syrian issue with Putin during his participation in the BRICS summit in Kazan over the past two days.
On Friday, October 25, Erdogan indicated that he discussed the matter of meeting al-Assad with Putin and said, “From the beginning, we have always emphasized our support for preserving the territorial integrity of Syria, establishing sustainable and just peace in our neighborhood, as well as protecting our borders.”
According to the Turkish president, this position reflects a role in the understanding of combating “terrorist organizations” without discrimination.
He continued, “Our fundamental expectation is that the Syrian administration understands the benefits that genuine and realistic normalization with Turkey will provide and takes steps accordingly,” hoping for a constructive move on this issue in the coming period and building normalization between Turkey and Syria.
Erdogan considered that there is instability in the region where “terrorist organizations” and those with “nefarious intentions” have accumulated, explaining that the only way to separate them is to “drain the swamp.”
He stated, “We talked to Putin about all these issues and our perspectives and expectations. We asked Mr. Putin to take steps to ensure that Bashar al-Assad responds to our call. Will Putin send any message to al-Assad to take a step? We leave that to time,” pointing out that “everyone knows Russia’s influence on the Syrian administration.”
Consultations with the United States
On September 19, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, met with the former US ambassador to Ankara, John Bass. The discussions between the two sides focused on the potential Turkish normalization process with the Syrian regime, among other issues.
According to diplomatic sources quoted by the BBC Turkish, Fidan exchanged views with the US ambassador on a solution that considers Turkish security concerns in Syria.
Turkish diplomatic sources informed the network that discussions indicated the “negative repercussions” of events in Gaza on Syria, emphasizing the need to maintain coordination among the actors who could play a role in resolving the conflict in Gaza.
On the 14th of the same month, the former foreign minister of the Syrian regime, Faisal Mekdad (currently the vice president), considered the Russian and Iranian presence legitimate, while describing the Turkish and American presence as “occupation.”
Mekdad stated that the numerous tasks undertaken by the Syrian government would ultimately lead to liberating “every grain of soil occupied by Turkey, and every grain of soil occupied by the United States or separatist forces that have served Western agendas.”
In an interview with the Egyptian channel “Sada Elbalad,” and in response to a question about Iranian and Russian presence in Syria and its impact on Syrian sovereignty, Mekdad stated that this applies to “Turkish occupation of our land.”
He asserted that Iran and Russia do not occupy Syria, “they came to our land at our request to work together against devilish forces that attempted to dominate and control with Western support in the region and particularly in Syria.”