Assad says he is ready to meet Erdogan if it serves the interests of the state

• 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced on Monday that he was open to meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, if such a meeting served the interests of the Syrian state.

Speaking about restoring relations with Turkey, President Assad said: “If the meeting with President Erdogan produces results, or if a rapprochement serves the interests of the country, I will do it.”

He stressed that the problem is not the meeting itself but its content, noting that while the meeting may be important as a means to an end, “we have not heard what the objective is or what the solution to the problem is.”

Al-Assad asked why relations between the two countries had deviated from their natural course 13 years ago and noted that no Turkish official had openly addressed this point. He stressed that the meeting was only a means to an end, requiring clear rules and references, and warned that the failure of this means at any point could lead to worse results and higher costs.

“We are in favour of any initiative aimed at improving relations, which is natural. No one thinks of creating problems with their neighbours, but this does not mean that we proceed without rules,” Assad added.

Al-Assad said that Syria insists on the necessity of this meeting, regardless of its level. He mentioned the ongoing meetings at the security level facilitated by some intermediaries, to which Syria gave a positive note.

He assured that any meeting with the Turkish side would be announced publicly and stressed that no results had been achieved due to a lack of political will. He raised the crucial question of whether the reference to the meeting would imply addressing the root causes of the problem, namely support for terrorists and the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territories.

“If we do not discuss this issue, what does this meeting mean? We want to carry out actions that produce results. We are not against a meeting or any other step, as long as it leads to positive results for Syria and Turkey at the same time,” Assad said.

Assad has criticized the term “normalization” of relations, calling it coercive. He has argued that relations with a neighboring country, with which he has had ties for centuries, should be inherently normal.

“If we want to achieve natural relations, which we aspire to in Syria, no matter what happens, can occupation be part of natural relations between countries? Can supporting terrorism be part of natural relations between countries? It is impossible,” he said.

The Syrian President also stressed that if natural relations with Turkey are to be achieved, all abnormal elements, such as occupation, terrorism, violation of international law and disrespect for the sovereignty of neighboring and other states, must be addressed and eliminated.

“When the abnormal elements are eradicated, the relations will be natural, without normalization or coercive measures,” he added. “They will naturally return to what they were before the war, especially since these natural relations have proven that the border security that Turkish officials talk about comes from these natural relations as it was before.”

The Syrian President stressed that the situation on the borders is calm and that Syria has been fulfilling its commitments for more than a quarter of a century in terms of border security and the fight against terrorism. He indicated that it is in this perspective that Syria views its natural relations with Turkey.

He indicated that Syria’s allies understand this position and have known about it since the first initiative five years ago. Although the discourse around the initiatives is new, the beginnings date back five years, during which Syria has maintained the same position: “Eliminate the causes and the results will follow. No need for political or media theater.”

The Syrian leader stressed that natural relations will be established with the support of Syria’s allies. He noted that what Syria demands is a right under international law, which cannot be opposed.

Syria’s friendly countries may sometimes demand certain measures, but these are open to dialogue and discussion. However, measures are different from principles, which are not negotiable because they constitute the basis of national interests.

“We do not set conditions or demands, rather we talk about demands, which is another term,” Assad explained. “Everything in the world, if we want to achieve good results, must have a suitable environment – what we call demands. If there is a political relationship, it needs specific demands to achieve its results.”

Assad explained that the requirements raised are dictated by the nature of relations between countries, expressed by international law.

He stressed the importance of openly addressing the past and learning from the political mistakes that caused immense destruction and loss of life, in order to lay the foundations for a future free from such pitfalls for future generations.

“We have not been given any guarantees, so we are proceeding in a positive manner, but based on clear principles, including international law and sovereignty,” Assad said. “If we do not achieve positive results, the consequences will be negative. Some say that we will not lose anything, but in this case, either everyone wins or everyone loses; there is no middle ground.”

Al-Assad concluded by reiterating the importance of principles and demands, saying that this is motivated by the desire for the success of the process, not by stubbornness or hesitation. “We have no hesitation or arrogance. We are striving to achieve positive results for Syria, Turkey and our allies,” he said.

Syria-Turkey negotiations move closer

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein revealed on Friday that a preliminary agreement had been reached with Syria and Turkey to hold a meeting between officials from the two countries in Baghdad.

“There are communications at the level of the Iraqi leadership with the Syrian and Turkish sides, and the date will be determined after returning to Baghdad,” Hussein said in a statement issued from Washington.

Earlier on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had asked Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “to begin restoring relations between the two countries,” adding that “Fidan is authorized to hold a meeting with President Assad in a third country.”

Erdogan said he had invited al-Assad two weeks ago to hold a meeting either in Turkey or a third country to launch a new process and overcome the tension in relations between the two countries.

This comes after Erdogan suggested on Sunday that Turkey invite al-Assad “at any time” for possible discussions aimed at restoring relations between the two neighbors.

Al-Assad had previously expressed his openness to all initiatives related to relations between Syria and Turkey that are based on the sovereignty of the Syrian state over all its territories and the fight against terrorism and its organizations.

Syria stresses that the precondition for any Syrian-Turkish dialogue is Ankara’s announcement of its willingness to withdraw from the Syrian territories it occupies.