President Erdogan conveys normalization message to Assad through Putin

President Erdogan, who traveled to Kazakhstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Summit, first met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Syrian crisis was discussed during the meeting.

Türkiye emphasized that combating terrorism would be a top priority in the normalization process with Syria and proposed taking concrete steps.

Reiterating the phrase “We will not allow the establishment of a ‘Terroristan’ beyond our border,” President Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s readiness for all forms of cooperation with Syria.

During the Arab Spring, Türkiye supported moderate opposition groups for the democratization of Syria. However, recently, a normalization process between Türkiye and Syria is anticipated, focusing on counterterrorism and the return of refugees.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has stated that they are open to all kinds of cooperation with Türkiye and suggested collaboration in counterterrorism. In response, President Erdogan announced that he is open to meeting with Assad.

Türkiye had led the Astana Process with Russia and Iran to establish a ceasefire in Syria. Moscow is also expected to mediate normalization between Ankara and Damascus.