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Syria is resisting Russian efforts to broker a summit between President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, Reuters reported on December 2.
Turkey is currently conducting an air operation against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, which are backed by the United States, and is threatening the war-torn country with a new ground invasion.
Three sources with knowledge of Syria’s position on possible talks told the news agency that Assad had rejected a proposal to meet Erdogan with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
According to two of the sources, Damascus believes that such a meeting could boost Erdogan’s chances in the Turkish elections next year, especially if its addresses the issue of returning some of the 3,6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
“Why hand Erdogan a victory for free? No rapprochement will happen before the elections,” one of the two said, revealed that Syria had also turned down the idea of a foreign ministers’ meeting.
The third source, a diplomat, said Syria “sees such a meeting as useless if it does not come with anything concrete, and what they have asked for so far is the full withdrawal of Turkish troops.”
Ankara broke ties with Damascus in the very first year of the Syrian war. Soon after, it rose to become the main political and military backer of Syrian rebels. Today, the Turkish military occupies vast parts of the country’s northern region.
Syrian and Turkish intelligence officials have been holding talks for the last few months. The results are yet to be revealed, however.
Speaking to Reuters, two Turkish sources disputed that Damascus was delaying and said that things are on track for an eventual meeting between Assad and Erdogan. One of the sources, a senior official, said that the meeting could be possible “in the not too distant future.”
“Putin is slowly preparing the path for this,” the official said. “It would be the beginning of a major change in Syria and would have very positive effects on Turkey. Russia would benefit too… given it is stretched in many areas.”
Erdogan expressed his willingness to meet with Assad on several occasions in the last few months. In a recent televised discussion, the president said that Turkey could “get things on track with Syria” and that “there can be no resentment in politics.”
A rapprochement between Turkey and Syria benefit both countries. It would help ease the refugee crisis, address mutual security concerns and even revive economic ties. Russia’s efforts to achieve reconciliation between Ankara and Damascus could bear fruit very soon.
Somebody said Putin shit himself down the stairs the other day and is not well… Hope they replace him with Rogozin!… Time for the ex-KGB Zi0ni$t to be disappeared and a much needed FINAL hou$e cleansing of it’s Banks and Energy!…
Dup
Meetings are always useful. At least make an effort. Too little of this takes place. The real reason Bashar doesn’t want to meet Erdogan right now is exactly political (and strategical): 1) Don’t give Erdogan an advantage in the upcoming presidential elections 2) Let the YPG/SDF be grilled for some time, so they might come back into the government fold.
Russia’s little cat-and-mouse games dont make results. Its only dragging feet and wasting time.
Let me remind you of the innocent civilians and kids who still die in Donetsk while Russia under cover is testing polonium and novichok on innocent civilians in the free and civilised world.
Nothing good comes out from summits only bad breath and jokes, and this is a fact.
Well, if they use 30 cm diameter polonium suppository and force it in MERDolfgan ass and bomb ITS OGRES, no more GENOCIDALS in Middle East! That would be a worthwhile meeting humans-UNHUMAN! I hope they invite SHITtila as well, IT always talks of ‘ass, fucking,…’, IT WOULD ENJOY.
IT. 🖕
The only “negotiating” between Syria and Turkey, is when Turkey completely leaves Syria. Assad and the Syrian people will settle for nothing less than the complete removal of all the invaders, and return of government control over all of Syria’s sovereign land. To settle for anything less would be unacceptable.
Absolutely right, particularly Anatolia INVADERS OGRES
No Islamist will send 8 million Sunnis back to the hands of a Shiite dictator. It has never happened and never will in Islamic history. Erdogan wants to pull Turkish troops out of Syria on ONE condition: Assad must negotiate with the Sunni Syrians in good faith. As long as Assad continues to think he has won the war, nothing will change in his favor. Turkey will move refugees back to Syria with or without Assad’s approval – only thos returnees won’t live under Assad’s control. They’ll live IN Syria under Turkish military and economic protection. Get that into your thick skulls and stop expecting Erdogan to throw Sunni Syrians under the bus. It will never happen regardless of the election, which he will win anyway, Insha Allah.
However, Erdogan left Iraqi Sunnis under the bus by allying with Iraqi Shiites and Kurds. I am not surprised if he does the same in order to be part of the so called Axis of Resistance. Or he can use his soft power to influence a more Sunni Islamist friendly president in Damascus for now. But I believe that Bashar will remain for some years at least.
It’s good thing. As long as Assad is in power, Syrians in Turkey will never want to return to Syria. How do I know? it was the Syrian refugees themselves who told me that. we are tired of these refugees. Assad does not want to recover them he managed to rip off Jordan and Lebanon but he will not have Turkey with the negotiations. the condition for a return of a certain number of these refugees is that the PKK/YPG disappears from northern Syria. this will greatly suit Turkey and Syria.
Assad wants Turkey to return the refugees and the IDPs in Idlib and other places so he can resume his dictatorship over them. He thinks the war has been won despite the impotence of his soldiers capture the rest of Syria or even its oil resources. If this guy ignores Erdogan’s offer to settle this issue now, he will never have the chance again.
Since you are a Turk living in Turkey, what is the election atmosphere like? The media hype about Erdogan losing is deafening. Both the U.S and Russian propaganda machines are peddling the same story as if it will have any effect on Turkish voters.
I don’t believe Erdogan will lose, however, his reputation will be damaged.
I’m do not agree ! and the reason is very simple. as I wrote before Assad had ripped off Jordan and Lebanon. Jordan and Lebanon have a lot of Syrian refugees too. they signed agreements with Assad for a return of refugees except that it ended badly! Very few refugees have returned to Syria and for the few who have returned there have been problems, ill-treatment, torture and execution for some who were suspected of being enemies of the regime. knowing this the Syrians preferred to stay in Jordan and Lebanon. As for Assad, he got what he wanted with Lebanon and Jordan. so the Syrians of Turkey for many of them will not return to Syria as long as Assad is in power.
For the elections, Erdoğan will win. But I think this will be the last time he will be president, after he will stop
Another 4 years of Erdogan should further weaken Islam’s enemies. I believe it will be in his last presidential years that he’ll encat a lot of bad-ass policies against the enemies of Islam. Specifically, I think he’ll do the following:
1. Bring interest rates down to about 2% or even lower and steer the Turkish economy farther away from the West.
2. Bring inflation down to single digits when the reduced interest rates start to manifest
3. I also think he’ll bring Sisi down, Insha Allah
4. Most likely, he’ll bring Assad down too, Insha Allah
5. He’s also likely to stabilize and unify Somalia and destroy U.S-sponsored Al-Shabab.
6. Finally, Erdogan is likely to leave behind a formal military alliance of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Pakistan, and Somalia.
Actually, this alliance is the alliance of Gog Magog prophecised in the Bible.
Magog (Mongols, Central Asia) Meshech (Georgians) Tubal (Anatolian Turks, Laz) Persia (Iran, Afghanistan) Kush (Ethiopia, Somalia) Togarmah (Caucasus, Azerbaijan) Put (Berbers, Algeria, Libya)
Pure bs. All the Syrian refugees I have talked to, respect and admire Assad.
Assad and his wife are doing a stunning work taking due care for all Syrians who lost their homes inside Syria.
Really ? Where are you from ? It’s a big surprise for me, here in Türkiye Syrians hate him
Erdogan winning the election doesn’t depend on a meeting with Assad. Insha Allah, Erdogan will win even with Syrian refugees still in Turkey.
Assad needs this chance as Erdogan might change his mind after the election. If Assad thinks that Erdogan will send Syrian refugees back to Assad’s part of Syria without Assad negotiating with the opposition, then it means Assad still does not understand Erdogan.
If Erdogan sends back 4 million syrian refugees back to the 30 km security zone, He will probably win the elections despite 86 percent inflation and the economic collaps in Turkey
No Islamist will send 8 million Sunnis back to the hands of a Shiite dictator. It has never happened and never will in Islamic history. Erdogan says he will send Syrian refugees back to win the Elections, He is lying and this is his game is irrelevant. He loves arabian d×xks.Definitely will not send refugees back even he will invite more arabian inviders to anotolia