Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he expects the level of bilateral meetings with Turkey to be raised soon, as “Turkey has shown readiness to meet Syria’s demands.”
“Syria expects deeds, not mere words, from Turkey,” Assad said, the Syrian Observer reported on Tuesday, citing Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper.
It is not possible to judge if Turkey’s position is “sincere” or it’s just a “political maneuver”, Assad said.
Ankara’s relations with Damascus have deteriorated a decade ago following a civil war broke in Syria in 2011 and since then, former good “friends” Erdogan and Assad became fierce “enemies.”
Turkey has supported armed Syrian rebels against Assad, providing them military support from the early stages of the civil war and intervened in the conflict by conducting several military operations into Northern Syria to combat Kurdish militants that sees as a threat to its security.
While Erdogan in the past has repeatedly described Assad as a “terrorist”, blaming him of killing his citizens during the civil war, Assad also frequently accused Erdogan of Muslim Brotherhood affiliation, a political Islamist group that ousted by al-Sisi regime and designated as a terrorist organization by Cairo, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Erdogan recently showed willingness for reconciliation with the Assad regime.
“Ankara may be more steadfast in its political orientation than some Arab countries. But it is not possible to judge if Turkey’s position is sincere or just a political maneuver,” Assad said.
Assad warned of the potential for positive official Turkish statements aimed at seeking “promotion in return for issuing statements,” the Syrian President said.
Turkey should take concrete steps in order to maintain a basis for a dialogue between Ankara and Damascus, said Pierre Marjane, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Syrian parliament on Monday, in an interview with Turkish Kisa Dalga news website.
“First of all, Turkey must admit that it has occupied Syrian territory by financing and training terrorist gangs. And secondly, it must show willingness that it is ready to withdraw from Syrian territory,” Marjane said.
Source: Gerçek News
