Turkey’s main opposition party says will hold talks with Syrian government

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has announced that Syrian authorities have responded positively to its proposal for talks. 

Burhanettin Bulut, the CHP's deputy chairperson responsible for public relations and media, revealed during a broadcast on Halk TV on Wednesday that Damascus has expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue. "The intention to discuss solutions has been met with a positive response. Now, we are only left to finalize the conditions, the venue, and the date of the meeting.”

However, Al-Watan, a prominent Syrian newspaper, has reported that no talks were held between the Syrian government and government or opposition factions from Turkey, citing "a source in Damascus familiar with the issue."

CHP's leader, Özgür Özel, had previously indicated on a television program on July 4 that a consensus had been reached and a visit to Damascus was imminent. "We have an agreement, and we will set a date. We expect to visit Damascus very soon. Unless unforeseen circumstances arise, we will go and discuss. I will make tremendous efforts to resolve this issue and secure funding from Europe. We hope the meeting will take place within July, traveling via Lebanon," Özel said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also recently shown openness to dialogue with his Syrian counterpart, suggesting that a meeting between them could be possible. The Syrian government, on the other hand, has yet to give a positive response to the president. The Damascus government set conditions for normalizing relations, calling for Turkey to end its military presence in Syria and cease support for armed groups. (VC/VK)