“Asharq Al-Awsat” Newspaper: UAE is seeking for Russia’s participation in normalizing the relations between Turkey and the Assad regime

Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said on Monday that the United Arab Emirates is seeking to join Russia in providing a high-level sponsorship to restore the relations between Turkey and the Assad regime, at a time the United States refuses to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus.

The newspaper revealed, according to information available to it, that the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Assad regime Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad will meet in the Russian capital, Moscow, next Wednesday in the presence of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Efforts are underway for the participation of the Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed.

The newspaper considered that this ministerial meeting is set to pave the way for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad before holding the presidential elections in Turkey in the middle of this year.

The UAE offered to host the summit, while it was reported that a senior Emirati official might participate in the summit if it was held in Moscow, according to the available information.

It is noteworthy that the Turkish Foreign Minister plans to visit the United States on 16-17 January to inform the American officials of the latest developments regarding the normalization with the Assad regime.