Damascus is open to initiatives to revive relations with Türkiye, Syria's President Bashar Assad said Wednesday.

Assad made statements on Syrian-Turkish ties during a meeting with Russian President's Special Envoy Alexander Lavrentiev, the Syrian regime's news agency SANA reported.

He affirmed that Syria is open to all initiatives regarding Syrian-Turkish relations as long as they are based on respecting the sovereignty of the Syrian state over all its territory and fighting all forms of terrorism, the agency said.

Lavrentiev reiterated his country's support for all initiatives aimed at normalizing relations between Syria and Türkiye.

He added that the current conditions seem more favorable than ever for the success of mediation, and reiterated Moscow's readiness to work to advance the negotiations, with the main goal to normalize bilateral relations.

Earlier this month, the Syrian regime refused dialogue with Türkiye over troops in the north.

Attempts to reconcile between Syria and Türkiye have failed to achieve progress since early 2023 despite meetings in Moscow between the countries' foreign ministers and defense ministers. Iran and Russia, the main backers of Assad who took part in Syria’s conflict that has killed half a million people, have tried to mediate between Türkiye and Syria in the past. Over the years, Syrian regime forces have taken control of most parts of Syria with their help.

Türkiye says its support for the Syrian opposition’s armed forces primarily aims to ensure a terror-free northern Syria immediately across the Turkish border, which suffered several cross-border attacks by the PKK in the past.