Restoring neighborly relations

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said he does not rule out the possibility of a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to restore bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.

Turkey severed ties with the Damascus government after the conflict in Syria erupted in 2011. Turkey has carried out a number of cross-border military operations against militants it says threaten its national security, and established a “safe zone” in northern Syria where Turkish troops are stationed. However, Turkey has said it could restore ties with Syria if progress is made on the fight against terrorism and the voluntary and safe repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Syrian state media reported that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad affirmed “Syria’s openness to all initiatives regarding relations between Syria and Turkey, based on the sovereignty of the Syrian state over its territories.” The Russian envoy said that “the current circumstances seem more suitable than ever for successful reconciliation and Russia is ready to make efforts to promote negotiations to restore relations between Syria and Turkey.”

Asked by reporters about President Bashar al-Assad's comments that his government was open to initiatives to normalize ties with Turkey, Erdogan said Ankara and Damascus could work to restore ties. He also insisted that Turkey had no intention of interfering in Syria's internal affairs. Reuters commented that Turkey is trying to mend ties with Syria as the government faces increasing domestic pressure to repatriate millions of Syrian refugees amid a severe economic downturn and rising anti-refugee sentiment.

VIET LE