Erdogan Says Ready to Meet with Syrian President Assad

"We have already expressed our willingness to meet with Bashar Assad to normalize relations between Turkiye and Syria," Erdogan told a press conference ahead of his flight to the United States for the UN General Assembly.

"We are waiting for the Syrian side to answer. We are ready for it… I believe that we will turn over a new leaf in our relations at this meeting," Erdogan added, Sputnik reported.

Relations between Damascus and Ankara soured after a war broke out in Syria in 2011. They stepped up efforts to mend ties in summer, with Assad saying he was ready for a summit with Erdogan if the talks met Syrian national interests.