Ruling party: Turkish leader ready for talks with Syrian counterpart

Spokesman for Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party Omer Celik has said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly expressed readiness to engage in talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He made these remarks during a press briefing in Ankara, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

Celik noted that the Turkish leader expressed readiness to engage in talks on the normalisation of relations, but has yet to receive a response from Assad. 

"Our president has repeatedly and publicly stated over the past few months that the process of normalisation should begin and that the corresponding meetings should be held. Unfortunately, however, Assad's side has been slow to respond and has shown an inability to implement a comprehensive set of diplomatic initiatives," he said. 

Celik also emphasised that the Turkish president had specifically pointed out that the sides should resolve the issues in the region on their own, without allowing certain foreign countries and elements to interfere in the process. 

"Our repeated call to the Syrian regime has been that it must unite with its opponents and find solutions to the primary points of tension. At the moment, this includes the diminished state sovereignty and the various regions of dominance that have emerged in Syria. Therefore, they need to come together and form an inclusive government, so that Syria can continue its path in unity," he said. 

He noted that Erdogan's call is certainly still relevant today.

"The key here is to put an end to this tension. Syria must create an inclusive model of government in cooperation with the opposition. This has been widely discussed in the Astana and Geneva processes. We want Syria to maintain its unity and territorial integrity, in line with the will of the Syrian people," Celik added.

By Naila Huseynova