Erdogan says meeting with Syria's Assad is 'possible'
The Turkish president adds that "there is no resentment or bitterness in politics."
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has aired fresh interest in a possible meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as Ankara is doubling down on its threat for a ground operation against Syrian Kurdish groups.
"A meeting with Assad is possible. There is no resentment or bitterness in politics,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish media Wednesday at the Turkish parliament. “Sooner or later, we will take steps.”
His statement marks the second of its kind within a span of two weeks as Ankara threatens to add ground operations in northern Syria to its ongoing air campaign. But for that step, Turkey needs the blessings of Moscow, which has long pressed both Ankara and Damascus to mend their ties.
"That is just vital,” Russia’s special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev was quoted as saying Wednesday by Russian TASS news agency. “Because those two countries are neighbors and they should be friends.”
