The missing peace between Syria and Turkey
Erdogan, Assad and the West all seem to be accepting a low-level grey zone conflict in Syria.
![Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during a press conference with Iraq's Prime Minister in Damascus on July 16, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2023-08/GettyImages-1535194924.jpg?h=4bd20877&itok=AT8-k-GW)
Assad rules out Turkey normalization (for now)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in no rush to bury the hatchet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In an interview with Sky News last week, Assad dismissed a meeting with Erdogan, saying it would legitimize Turkey’s occupation of northern Syria.
Turkey maintains an estimated 5,000-10,000 troops in northern Syria and administers via its political and armed Syrian proxy forces about 3,400 square miles of Syrian territory.