Syria's developments may prompt Assad to initiate Damascus-Ankara dialogue — expert

World December 04, 15:10

"President Bashar Assad needs to respond positively to Turkey's initiatives regarding the normalization of relations; otherwise, he may not remain in power," Huseyin Bagci noted

ISTANBUL, December 4. /TASS/. The recently escalated situation in Syria may prompt the country’s president, Bashar Assad, to engage in dialogue with Turkey, Huseyin Bagci, a leading Turkish expert on international security issues and head of the Ankara Global Advisory Group, said on Wednesday.

"[President Bashar] Assad needs to respond positively to Turkey's initiatives regarding the normalization of relations; otherwise, he may not remain in power," the expert noted.

"It is crucial for him to negotiate with Turkey," Bagci added.

On June 28, Erdogan announced his readiness to restore diplomatic relations with Damascus, which had been severed in 2012. On July 12, he revealed that he had instructed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to prepare a roadmap for the normalization process. However, in late November, Fidan stated that Syria was not yet ready for dialogue.

On the morning of November 27, the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia) launched a large-scale attack on a broad front in northern Syria. According to a statement by the Syrian Armed Forces’ Command, the terrorists attempted to attack villages and towns under the protection of the Syrian army and military facilities, continuing to target government forces' positions. The Syrian army launched an operation to repel the raid.

On November 30, the country’s armed forces’ command stated that the army was conducting strikes on the positions of terrorists who had infiltrated many neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo and was awaiting reinforcements. According to the Syrian Defense Ministry’s statement, the army was forced to reorganize its forces to protect the lives of civilians and troops and prepare for a counterattack.

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