Ankara: Erdogan could meet Al-Assad when conditions are 'right'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Agencies
27 Apr 2023 20:13

President Al-Assad had said that he would only meet Erdogan after Turkey pulls its forces from northern Syria.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (AP)

In an interview with the NTV news channel, Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar said that it's probable Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would meet his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad once the conditions are right.

"We need to make the necessary preparations. It is important for the conditions to be right. There is a path forward. We are making efforts to this effect," he told the NTV news channel.

Erdogan had noted that he won't be meeting Al-Assad until after the defense, intelligence, and foreign ministers met. Al-Assad had said back in March that he would only meet Erdogan after Turkey pulls its forces from northern Syria.

Back on March 17, it was reported that Syria's conditions regarding negotiations between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad are not suitable for a rapprochement between the two countries, said Orhan Miri Oglu, a member of the Central Decision and Implementation Authority of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK).

In a visit to Moscow on March 16, the Syrian president emphasized that "For Syria, the priority is the restoration of national sovereignty."

The Syrian President added that only when the conditions are met will he meet with President Erdogan, "there is no specific date for a meeting with Erdogan, it may be today or tomorrow, the timing is not the problem," he added.