Erdogan-Assad Meeting to Be Held Next Month, Turkish Sources

Meeting of Bashar Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus in May 2008 (AP)
Meeting of Bashar Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus in May 2008 (AP)
TT

Erdogan-Assad Meeting to Be Held Next Month, Turkish Sources

Meeting of Bashar Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus in May 2008 (AP)
Meeting of Bashar Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus in May 2008 (AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, could meet at the Kasab border crossing next month, the pro-government Türkiye newspaper reported on Saturday.

Russian Foreign Intelligence Chief Sergey Naryshkin and chief of Turkish intelligence Ibrahim Kalin agreed on the plan during a meeting they held in Ankara a few days ago, the newspaper said citing sources familiar with the issue.

Intelligence authorities involved in the potential rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus also held three meetings last June to prepare for the Erdogan-Assad talks, it said.

The Kasab border crossing hosted a meeting of Turkish and Syrian intelligence officials about three years ago when Russia triggered the normalization process between Ankara and Damascus.

The Türkiye newspaper, citing its sources, said Erdogan and Assad were initially supposed to meet in Baghdad, but Ankara is now considering the option of holding the summit at the Kasab crossing.

It added that following talks between Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last Wednesday, reports said the Assad-Erdogan meeting could be held in Moscow. But diplomatic sources were quick to deny it.

Last Tuesday, Türkiye’s Daily Sabah newspaper said Erdogan will meet Assad in Moscow next month, but a Turkish diplomatic source refuted the reports.

Spokesman for Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party Omer Celik said last Tuesday that preparation is underway for the Erdogan-Assad meeting.

Speaking after a meeting of the Party chaired by Erdogan, he said the Turkish and Syrian intelligence services held meetings at different times to prepare the necessary dossier related to the Ankara-Damascus relations.

Celik explained that the Turkish Foreign and Defense ministries will then provide their recommendations based on this preparation.

Following this stage, the file will be presented to the Turkish and Syrian Presidents, and Erdogan will then invite Assad to meet.

Turkish media reported that a plane carrying Naryshkin arrived at Ankara Esenboga International Airport last Wednesday, coinciding with the Putin-Assad meeting in Moscow.

Security experts said a Special Flight Detachment aircraft, thought to be carrying Naryshkin, traveled from Moscow to Ankara.

The Türkiye newspaper said the meeting held between Kalin and Naryshkin was decisive in determining the date and place of Erdogan and Assad’s meeting.

Türkiye severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported the opposition looking to oust Assad. The Syrian leader views opposition fighters as terrorists.



Israel Says Not Committed to Hamas Ceasefire, Only to Safe Corridor for US Hostage Release

Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sana'a, Yemen, 09 May 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sana'a, Yemen, 09 May 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
TT

Israel Says Not Committed to Hamas Ceasefire, Only to Safe Corridor for US Hostage Release

Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sana'a, Yemen, 09 May 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sana'a, Yemen, 09 May 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Israel has not agreed to any ceasefire or release of prisoners with Hamas, but only to a safe corridor to allow the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.

Israel was informed a day earlier of Hamas' decision to release Alexander, the last surviving US hostage, as a goodwill gesture towards President Donald Trump after four-way talks between Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

The release, which could come as early as Monday, could open the way to freeing the rest of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza, but Netanyahu said Israeli forces would continue recently announced preparations to step up operations there, reported AFP.

"The negotiations will continue under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting," his office said in a statement.

On Sunday, Hamas said it had been talking with the United States and had agreed to release Alexander, a move key Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt called an encouraging step towards a return to ceasefire talks in the war-torn enclave.

The talks came shortly before Trump is set to leave for a visit to the Gulf that will not include a stop in Israel.

US officials have tried to calm fears in Israel of a growing distance between Israel and Trump, who last week announced an end to a US campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have continued to fire missiles at Israel.

Families of the hostages and their supporters in Israel have pressed the government to reach a deal to secure the release of those still held in Gaza but Netanyahu has faced heavy pressure from hardliners in his cabinet not to end the war.

Last week, he announced plans to step up the operation in Gaza, which officials said could be seized entirely by Israeli forces.