Erdoğan ‘ready’ to meet Syria’s al-Assad

Duvar English

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sept. 21 spoke at a press conference held at the State Guest House of Atatürk Airport before his visit to the United States for the 79th United Nations General Assembly.

Erdoğan addressed the ongoing contact with Syria, emphasizing the importance of dialogue with other countries amid escalating regional tensions.

“The tension in Syria must come to an end. We will clearly state that the instability there, especially due to terrorist organizations and Israel’s state terrorism, must be resolved. This is not ordinary terrorism anymore; it’s state terrorism.” The President added that he would bring this issue up at the United Nations. 

He continued, “The steps Turkey and Syria can take together to end this tension and bring peace and stability to all of Syria present a favorable opportunity for a permanent solution. Millions of people outside Syria are waiting to return to their homeland. We have already issued our call on this matter.” 

Erdoğan repeated that Turkey has time and again expressed its willingness to meet with al-Assad to “normalize” relations between Turkey and Syria. 

“We are now waiting for a response from the other side. We are ready. As two Muslim nations, we want to realize this unity and solidarity as soon as possible. I believe that such a meeting will mark the beginning of a new era in the relations between the two countries," he noted. 

“For nearly a year, we have all had important roles to play, particularly the United Nations, in ending this oppression, establishing a lasting ceasefire, and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid. We will remind our counterparts of these points during our visit. From the beginning, I have said that Israel's target is not just Gaza. The recent attacks on Lebanon have confirmed our concerns that Israel's government plans to expand the war in the region."

In response to a journalist's question about Israel's cyberattacks on Lebanon, Erdoğan stated that Israel was acting “not like a state, but like a terrorist organization” with its attacks. 

He continued, “Israel has demonstrated that it has no regard for civilian sensitivities and is willing to use any means to achieve its hateful goals. Another implication of this attack is that, despite all our warnings, and with the support of some Western countries, Israel is unfortunately expanding the conflict into Lebanon and the broader region."

President Erdoğan also noted that there was no planned bilateral meeting with United States President Joe Biden but added, “However, we may come together on various occasions.”