Baghdad to host Turkey-Syria meeting

12-07-2024
Rudaw
A+ A-

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government is arranging a meeting between Turkey and Syria in Baghdad as part of efforts to normalize relations between the neighboring countries, Iraq’s foreign minister announced on Friday.

“Turkish and Syrian relations are complicated, and indeed there is communication between the Turkish and Syrian sides through Iraq. There is an Iraqi initiative to bring both parties together in Baghdad. There was continual communication at the leadership level between the Iraqi, Turkish and Syrian sides,” Fuad Hussein told Rudaw during a press conference in Washington. 

“There was a meeting with the foreign ministers of the two countries and it was agreed in principle to meet in Baghdad, but a date has not been set yet. When I return, a date will be set,” he added. 

Fadi al-Shammari, political advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, told Rudaw on Tuesday that Baghdad has wasted no opportunity to work as a mediator and that a rapprochement between Syria and Turkey is in the “direct” interest of Iraq. 

“Baghdad benefits from playing the role of mediator in several aspects, including enhancing regional stability, which reflects positively on the security and economic situation in Iraq,” he said. 

Relations between Ankara and Damascus turned bitter after the outbreak of war in Syria. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister of Turkey, slammed Bashar al-Assad for committing violence against his own people. Erdogan demanded the removal of the Syrian president from power and labeled him a “terrorist.”

Turkey supported anti-Assad rebels in the early years of the civil war, especially in northwest Syria. However, when Russia intervened and President Vladimir Putin threw his support behind Assad, Erdogan began opposing the growing Kurdish dominance in northern Syria. 

Russia is also a mediator between Turkey and Syria.

Interview by Diyar Kurda 

 

Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required
 

The Latest

The logo of the Arab Parliament. Graphic: Rudaw

Arab Parliament approves Iraq’s request to file lawsuit against Israel

The legislative body of the Arab League approved an Iraqi proposal to file a lawsuit against “the Zionist occupation army,” the Iraqi parliament’s media office announced on Sunday.