Turkish occupation of Syrian territories main obstacle to Assad-Erdogan meeting: expert
An expert on the West Asia region has said that the presence of Turkish forces in Syrian territories is the biggest obstacle to holding a meeting between the presidents of Turkey in Syria.
The expert, Seyed Hadi Afqahi, told ILNA that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used the alleged presence of PKK in the border regions with Syria as an excuse for establishing a Turkish presence on Syrian soil but the fact is that PKK has no presence in Idlib but Turkish military forces are present there.
Afqahi pointed out that Erdogan is facing political problems inside Turkey in the wake of the recent earthquake that hit the southern parts of the country. “That’s why I believe that Erdogan is seeking to make some political breakthroughs in any way possible. And getting closer to Egypt and other Arab countries of the region can be viewed in this regard,” Afqahi said.
But the Turkish presence on Syrian soil could prevent a thaw in Damascus-Ankara relations, the expert said. “For this reason, I believe that the Assad-Erdogan meeting will not happen any time soon,” Afqahi added.