Assad sets conditions for a meeting with Erdogan
2011 marks the beginning of the Syrian civil war. The neighboring country Turkey cuts off relations - and takes in millions of people. The two countries are now getting closer again. A meeting between the presidents is even possible - but Assad sets conditions.
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad sets conditions for a meeting with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Assad told reporters in Damascus in a video clip released by the Presidential Palace that he would only meet Erdogan if the talks focused on the key issues of Turkey's support for "terrorism" and the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from Syrian territory. "The problem is not the meeting, but its content," Assad added. He would respond positively to any initiative to improve bilateral relations, but first, the foundation for such talks must be established.
Erdogan had shown openness for reconciliation with Assad at the beginning of July. Additionally, he had hinted at an end to military operations against Kurdish militias in Iraq and northern Syria on a Friday. Ankara was close to achieving the goals of the operations, Erdogan told graduates of a military academy in Istanbul. Both in Iraq and in Syria, the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) was completely encircled.
Assad's international isolation crumbles
Assad sits firmly in the saddle after the Syrian civil war. For years, he was internationally isolated, with contacts limited to his allies Russia and Iran. Turkey had broken off relations with its neighbor Syria in 2011 at the start of the civil war. Assad had violently suppressed the protests then.
Turkey has taken in more than three million Syrians since the start of the Syrian civil war. Ankara supported the rebels who wanted to overthrow Assad back then. The Syrian leader considers the rebels to be terrorists. Since 2016, Turkey has had ground troops in northern Syria to drive out Kurdish militias from its border. Turkey controls parts of the country in the region.
The operation in northern Iraq has been ongoing since April 2022 with the goal of repelling PKK attacks from there. The PKK has been fighting against the Turkish state since the 1980s and has carried out numerous attacks. Both Europe and the USA classify them as a terrorist organization.
- Despite Turkey's past support for Syrian rebels, aimed at overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, who considered them as terrorists, Turkey and Syria's bilateral relations are showing signs of improvement.
- The Syrian uprising in 2011 led to a strain in Turkey's relations with Syria, resulting in Turkey cutting off ties and providing refuge to millions of Syrian refugees.
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, had expressed interest in reconciliation with Assad in July, hinting at an end to military operations against Kurdish militias, especially the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Syria and Iraq, who are seen as a threat by Turkey.
- Politics surrounding War and Conflicts in Syria have been complex, involving international isolation for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, with limited contacts to Russia and Iran, but now potentially opening up to Turkey, given the current political situation and the PKK's role in Kurdish autonomy in Turkey.
