Syria open to plans to mend relations with Turkey, Assad says

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, right, with Russian envoy Alexander Lavrentiev in Damascus. AFP

Syria is open to efforts aimed at repairing relations with Turkey, President Bashar Al Assad said.

He made the comments on Wednesday during a meeting with Russia's special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, the state-run Sana news agency reported.

Any initiatives to mend ties between Damascus and Ankara should respect the sovereignty of the Syrian state, Mr Al Assad said.

Russia and Iran have tried to mediate previous talks between the Turkish government and Damascus. Moscow and Tehran were the main backers of the Assad government during Syria's civil war, which has killed more than 500,000 and displaced about 12 million since 2011.

Turkey has launched three major cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and controls some northern areas. Ankara supported Syrian opposition fighters in the civil war.

Attempts at reconciliation between Syria and Turkey have failed to achieve progress since early 2023, despite meetings in Moscow between the countries' foreign and defence ministers.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said any dialogue between his country and Turkey should only take place after Ankara announces a plan to withdraw its troops from all Syrian territory.

He was speaking at a press conference with Iran’s acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, after Turkey threatened to act against Kurdish-led authorities in north-eastern Syria as they prepare to hold municipal elections.