Handing over Aleppo admin. to Turkey personal remarks: Erdogan advisor

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen Net
11 Jan 15:56
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The advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clarifies the remarks he made about handing the administration of Aleppo to Ankara.

Advisor to the President of the Justice and Development Party and advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Yasin Aktay

Advisor to the President of the Justice and Development Party and advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Yasin Aktay, pointed out that his statements regarding handing over the administration of Aleppo to Turkey are a personal position and political analysis that have nothing to do with the party or the Turkish government.

Speaking to Al Mayadeen, Aktay said his remarks about Aleppo were based on a press article.

According to the Turkish official, it is not necessary to hand over the city of Aleppo to Turkey in exchange for the return of the Syrian refugees, adding that the United Nations could be the one to take over matters in Aleppo to provide a safe and stable environment for the Syrian refugees.

During previous remarks about the return of Syrian refugees to their country, Aktay called for the return of Aleppo to Turkey's control and claimed that Turkey intervened at the time in Aleppo to prevent major massacres.

This comes Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported earlier that the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, and Syria might meet in Moscow between January 14 to 16.

The report said that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is currently on a diplomatic tour in Africa and is expected to return to his country on January 14, after which he may visit Moscow in the period from January 14 to 16.

But the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported on Tuesday, citing informed sources, that "there is no agreed-upon date of a meeting between the Syrian and Turkish FMs."

The Moscow meeting, which will include Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, is expected to cover the latest issues in Syria with a focus on northern Syria, in addition to the fight against terrorism and Syrian refugees in Turkey. The foreign ministers are also expected to hold talks regarding prospects to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus.

It's also notable that a tripartite meeting was held last month, which included the defense ministers of Syria, Turkey, and Russia in Moscow. Attendees discussed potential solutions for the Syrian conflict, the refugee crisis, and the joint efforts for combatting terrorism in Syria.