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The Turkish political leader told reporters on a flight from Berlin that some world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, have proposed meeting with Assad in Turkey.
ISTANBUL: Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he could invite Syrian President Bashar Assad to visit Turkey “at any time”, a sign of reconciliation after the Syrian civil war strained relations between Ankara and Damascus.
“We can extend an invitation to Assad at any time,” Erdogan told reporters on a plane from Berlin to attend the Euro 2024 soccer tournament, including a number of world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Turkish leader said “we have reached the point where as soon as Assad takes steps to improve relations with Turkey, we will show him the same approach”.
The war changed the relationship between countries
Turkey originally planned to overthrow the Assad regime after peaceful protests were suppressed when the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011. But Turkey has recently become more focused on preventing a “terror corridor” from opening up in northern Syria after Ankara backed multiple rebel groups.
The Associated Press reminded that before the war broke out, Erdogan and Assad had a close relationship, and they even vacationed together with their families in southern Turkey in 2008. Last week, the leaders of the two countries said they were ready to end tensions and normalize diplomatic relations.
Turkey is home to about 3.2 million Syrian refugees, according to United Nations figures, and the government is facing growing pressure to expel them amid a recession and rising anti-immigrant sentiment.
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