Turkey will extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says.
“We will extend our invitation [to Assad]; with this invitation, we want to restore Turkey-Syria relations to the same level as in the past. Our invitation may be extended at any time,” Erdogan says, according to a presidency readout of an interview by Turkish media.
Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels looking to oust Assad.
Speaking to reporters on his flight back from Berlin, Erdogan also said Ankara would reciprocate any positive steps from Damascus, and that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani could contribute to facilitating the contact.
“We have now arrived at a point where if Bashar Assad takes a step towards improving relations with Turkey, we will also show that approach towards him,” Erdogan says.
Discover Israel's most beloved poet
She died more than four decades ago, but Leah Goldberg remains a magnetic and enigmatic figure: Israel’s most beloved poet, a powerful woman who lived with her mother and never married, who reinvented herself from the ashes of World War I through her magical writing.
You can screen 'The Five Houses of Leah Goldberg' June 4-11. Join The Times of Israel Community today to support our work and watch this and other outstanding documentary films in our DocuNation series.
I want to see it
I want to see it
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 7, 2024
