Assad says he won't meet Erdogan until Turkiye ends its 'occupation

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that he will meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, only when Turkiye is ready to completely withdraw its army from northern.

Turkiye is the largest military and political ally of the Syrian opposition, which controls its last strongholds in northwest Syria.

Ankara established dozens of bases and deployed thousands of soldiers in northern Syria, which prevented the Russian-backed Syrian army from regaining control of the region.

Al-Assad, who is visiting Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in an interview with the Russian television station Sputnik that there is no point in meeting with Al-Assad until Turkey ends the "illegal occupation" of Syria

Al-Assad told Sputnik, "The matter is related to reaching a stage in which Turkey is ready, clearly and without any ambiguity, to completely exit Syrian territory, stop supporting terrorism, and restore the situation to what it was before the start of the war in Syria".

Late last year, the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria held the most high-profile talks between the two neighbors, whose relations have been strained since 2011.