Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Ankara would invite his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad “at any time” for talks on relations between the two neighboring countries.
“We will extend our invitation (to Assad)… With this invitation, we want to restore Turkish-Syrian relations to the same level they were in the past. Our invitation may be extended at any time,” Erdogan was quoted as saying in an interview with Turkish media by a statement from the presidency.
Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from the German capital, Berlin, that Ankara would respond in kind to any positive steps from Damascus, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Iraqi prime minister could help facilitate contact.
“Putin and the Iraqi prime minister have a vision to hold talks in Turkey. We talk about mediation everywhere, so why not with our neighbor?” the Turkish presidency quoted Erdogan as saying.
Last June, Erdogan did not rule out the possibility of holding a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad to restore relations.
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