Turkish FM shows readiness for dialogue with Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan stated on Wednesday that jis country is ready for any type of dialogue at any level with the Syrian government.
Fidan made this statement in an exclusive interview with Sky News Arabia, during which he discussed a range of events across the Middle East in general and Syria in particular.
Fidan said Ankara is ready to initiate dialogue “at any level” with Damascus and that preparations are under way to welcome Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to Turkey.
Fidan further highlighted Turkey’s willingness to solve security problem in region from its root via “establishing an alliance with Arab countries.”
“Just as we have normalized relations with other countries in the region,” Fidan added. “We want to take some necessary steps with Syria at some point.”
“We are ready to start any type of dialogue at any level, including the presidential level, to solve our problems,” the Turkish minister noted.
The Turkish official’s statement came at a time where a flurry of reports has been published on a possible rapprochement between the Syrian government and Turkey.
Turkey has made several overtures to Syria in a bid to restore diplomatic relations despite years of disagreements. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, however, has rebuffed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s invitations for dialogue, insisting on the withdrawal of Turkish forces as a condition for negotiations.
Recently, Erdogan has expressed a strong desire to meet with al-Assad, while the latter ignores these invitations, despite mediation efforts by both Russia and Iraq.