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Turkish official denies report about Erdoğan-Assad meeting in Moscow

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A Turkish diplomatic source has denied a report in a pro-government newspaper in Turkey which claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow in August, Reuters reported.

Based on anonymous sources, the English language pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper reported on Monday that the “much-anticipated meeting” between Erdoğan and Assad is expected to take place in Moscow in August, with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a mediator.

However, a Turkish diplomatic source, speaking to a group of journalists on Monday after the report appeared, said there was no such plan.

Asked about the report of a potential meeting in Moscow between Assad and Erdoğan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also did not confirm any specific plans but said Russia would like to see improved relations between the two countries.

“The issue of facilitating the organization of certain contacts between Turkish and Syrian representatives at various levels is really on the agenda.

“Many countries, and of course Russia as a country that plays a significant role in the region, are interested in helping the two countries to establish relations. This is very important for the whole region,” Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

Turkey cut ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the civil war, backing opposition groups seeking to overthrow President al-Assad. Since then Turkey has launched several military operations against groups it deems a threat to its security and established a “safe zone” in northern Syria, where Turkish troops are now stationed.

In 2022 Erdoğan said removing Assad was no longer a priority for Turkey. Despite high-level talks between Ankara and Damascus brokered by Russia the same year, no significant progress was made.

However, as part of a broader effort to improve relations with Gulf countries, Turkey is now considering re-establishing ties with Damascus if there is progress on counterterrorism efforts, on the return of millions of Syrian refugees hosted in Turkey and on the political process.

Earlier this month Erdoğan said he might invite Assad to Turkey “at any moment,” in a sign of reconciliation after ties between the two countries soured over the Syrian war.

Assad, however, said he was open to meeting with Erdoğan but that it depended on the encounter’s “content,” noting Turkey’s presence in Syria is a key sticking point. Assad wants Turkey to withdraw its troops from Syria.

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