Erdogan: I am still hopeful about the possibility of a meeting with Bashar al-Assad
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his hope on November 13 about the possibility of a meeting with Bashar al-Assad and placing Syria-Turkey relations back on the right track.
Bashar al-Assad also called for reassessment of security threats, considering that the real danger threatening Syria and the region comes from Israel and not from the Syrians, as the Assad regime claims, according to the Anadolu Agency.
Erdogan stressed the need for the Assad regime to take concrete steps to create stability and security in Syria instead of targeting civilians and the Syrian opposition.
Erdogan said: “Bashar al-Assad has to know that the territorial integrity of Syria is not threatened by the Syrian people, who are exist in several neighboring countries, and he must create a new climate in Syria.”
The Turkish president made it clear that the reason behind his departure from the Arab-Islamic Summit Hall is not linked to Bashar al-Assad’s speech, but to hold a meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.
Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Guler said, “Reconciliation will be positive with the Assad regime, which lacks a real popular base,” stressing that “the Syrian National Army will be part of Syria’s future.”
Guler’s statement came in a television interview with the Turkish channel “TV100”, where Guler explained that there is no withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria without clear conditions, and this is not an option currently on the table.
