Türkiye and the Syrian regime are carrying out gradual steps, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday as relations between the two longtime foes are thawing.
Touching on the latest development on ongoing operations as a part of Türkiye's fight against terrorism, Erdoğan said during a televised interview in Ankara his country's fight against terrorism also contributes to the preservation of Syria's territorial integrity and unity. "Therefore, (Syria's Bashar Assad) regime should be aware of this."
He urged that the regime should fight against the separatist attitude of the PKK/YPG terrorist organization.
Speaking about the process of establishing a dialogue between Türkiye and Syria, Erdoğan said, "A gradual work is being carried out in the dialogue with the Syrian regime."
"The attitudes of the parties will determine how the dialogue process between Türkiye and Syria will be shaped. In any case, we take the necessary measures to protect our national security," he added.
"Finding a solution to the conflict by advancing the political process may constitute a window of opportunity," he said.
The return of Syrians should be "voluntarily, safely and in a dignified manner," he said, adding that currently, approximately 500,000 refugees have started to voluntarily return to Syria.
Although no date or location has yet been announced, the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia and Syria are expected to meet, which would mark another high level of talks since the Syrian civil war began in early 2011.
On Dec. 28, the Turkish, Russian and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow to discuss counterterrorism efforts in Syria and agreed to continue tripartite meetings to ensure stability in Syria and the wider region.
Most recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency Tuesday that Russia aims to cooperate with Iran on easing relations between Türkiye and the Bashar Assad regime.
"An agreement in principle has now been reached on the participation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the work," Lavrov said.
Russia, Türkiye and Iran are the patrons of the Astana format, where representatives of the Syrian regime and opposition are negotiating the country's future.
Any normalization between Ankara and Damascus would reshape the decadelong Syrian war. Turkish backing has been vital for sustaining moderate Syrian opposition in their last significant territorial foothold in the northwest after Assad defeated his opponents across the rest of the country, aided by Russia and Iran.