Putin receives Assad in Moscow
Putin and Assad last met in March 2023. Russia is an important ally of Assad's and has supported his troops in the Syrian Civil War.
Turkey broke off relations with its neighbor Syria following the outbreak of the Civil War in 2011. The conflict began after Assad violently suppressed protests. To date, over 500,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions of Syrians have been displaced.
Moscow could play a mediator role between Syria and Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently proposed a joint meeting with Putin and Assad to achieve normalization of the tense relations between Turkey and Syria.
Since 2016, Turkey has launched several ground offensives against Kurdish militias and Jihadists in northern Syria. Erdogan announced mid-July the end of the operation.
- Vladimir Putin, in his capacity as the Russian President, has maintained a close relationship with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, often meeting in the Kremlin.
- The Kremlin's support for Assad's regime has been instrumental in the Syrian conflict, providing crucial military aid to Assad's troops.
- The proposed meeting between Putin, Erdogan, and Assad, discussed on Turkish Television, aims to improve strained relations between Turkey and Syria, which have been fractious since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call for diplomatic engagement with Syria comes as Russia continues to play a significant role in Syria, with its armed forces stationed in several military bases across the country.
- The relationship between Turkey and Russia, however, is not without its complexities, particularly with respect to Erdogan's military operations in northern Syria, which have occasionally raised tensions with Moscow.
- The Kremlin's stance on Turkey's involvement in Syria has been nuanced, with Putin publicly criticizing Erdogan's incursions but also seeking to maintain an overall balance in the region, given the strategic importance of both Turkey and Syria to Russia.
