The much-anticipated meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Syrian leader Bashar Assad is expected to take place in Moscow, sources said.

Since both countries’ leaders have implied intentions to support normalization and hold a series of talks in the past months, discussions have been ongoing over where to hold the critical meeting on the level of presidents.

Erdoğan recently said that he plans to offer to hold the talks in Türkiye, inviting Assad, or a third country. On the other side, Iraq recently voiced its own intention to host the talks in the capital Baghdad.

"The first meeting between Erdoğan and Assad is planned to be held in the Russian capital Moscow," a source familiar with the issue told Daily Sabah. "Putin will mediate the talks while Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani might be invited," the source said, adding that the meeting might happen as of August.

"The issue of withdrawal of Turkish forces is no precondition but has been agreed to be discussed later to be achieved eventually," the source said.

The source further added that trade would top the agenda during the first meeting, indicating that trade had already started through Abu Zindan.

Iraq is another actor and neighbor that has maintained close contact with the Assad regime since 2011. Al Sudani views the rapprochement between Erdoğan and Assad as another occasion to adopt a role as a regional mediator, having facilitated similar talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the past. Moreover, it would also be a prize for domestic politics to bolster his leadership before elections in Iraq.

The source said Iran may be left out of the new process between Ankara and Damascus, a claim which was not confirmed by diplomatic sources.

Later on Monday, diplomatic sources also rejected the claims about Moscow being the location of the meeting between Erdoğan and Assad.