The head of the opposition Turkish Republican People’s Party, Ozgur Ozil, announced his desire to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Ozil said in a televised interview today: For our part, we are carrying out what is called informal diplomacy with Syria, and I am thinking of going and meeting with Bashar al-Assad in the next few days if we are able to arrange that.
Ozil indicated that contacts are ongoing through non-public diplomacy to understand whether it is possible to open the closed door in relations between the two countries.
He added: These contacts are “going well”, and if they succeed, I will meet with Assad during the next month or more, and that the talk is not about a meeting after a long period, but rather about the possibility of holding such a meeting during this summer.
He explained that he was ready to discuss the Syrian leadership regarding settlement options with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Ozil stressed that one of the basic issues he
wants to discuss with Assad is the problem of Syrian refugees and their return to their homeland from Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, Friday, that there are no reasons preventing the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria.
He added that he did not rule out holding a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, to help restore relations between the two countries.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency