No meeting to occur between Erdogan, Assad in Moscow – Turkish source
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday that a newspaper report claiming Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is false.
A Turkish diplomatic source told journalists on Monday that there is no scheduled meeting between Erdogan and al-Assad in Moscow in August, following the release of a report on the topic.
Turkey’s Daily Sabah newspaper reported citing an unnamed source that a meeting might occur in Moscow in August, with Russian President Vladimir Putin acting as a mediator.
“The first meeting between Erdoğan and Assad is planned to be held in the Russian capital Moscow,” Daily Sabah newspaper said.
Turkey has supported opposition groups against Syrian President Assad in the war that started in 2011. Meanwhile, Russia, one of al-Assad’s key allies in the conflict, helped him in regaining control over much of Syria.
The Syrian government reestablished diplomatic ties with a few Arab countries that had been cut off during the war. Tensions between Syria and Turkey, however, continue as Turkey still supports some factions that oppose al-Assad in northwestern Syria.