Amid ongoing tensions in Turkey over Syrian refugees, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party has said he is hoping to have an official meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus this month to address border security and refugee issues, the Cumhuriyet daily and KRT TV reported.
Özgür Özel, chair of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), who spoke to Cumhuriyet for an exclusive interview published on Friday, talked about the rising anti-Syrian sentiment in the country amid attacks on Syrians and their properties by angry mobs across several provinces this week.
The CHP leader said he is hoping to meet with Assad in an attempt to find a solution to the refugee problem in Turkey and that his party officials are trying to arrange an official meeting between the two in Damascus.
Özel said the CHP has already made unofficial contact with Assad.
In another interview with KRT TV, Özel said he would travel to Damascus through Lebanon for the meeting with Assad this month.
“I will make extraordinary efforts for Turkey to sit at the table with Assad and to find the necessary resources from Europe to solve this [refugee] problem. We will conduct a big campaign to this effect. We just want everyone to show the necessary will to solve this problem,” said Özel.
He said the refugee problem has to be resolved so that incidents similar to this week’s anti-Syrian riots do not take place again.
Turkey hosts approximately 3.2 million Syrian refugees, and xenophobic violence, often fueled by social media rumors, has erupted multiple times in recent years. The fate of these refugees remains a contentious political issue, with some opposition politicians making their repatriation an election promise before elections.
Turkey cut ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the civil war, backing opposition groups seeking to overthrow al-Assad; however, the CHP has always supported keeping channels of dialogue open with Assad despite opposition from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
A CHP delegation visited Assad in March 2013 to express their support for Syrian’s territorial integrity. The party attracted strong criticism from then-prime minister Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Over the years, Erdoğan has softened his stance against Assad and has signaled that a reconciliation with the Syrian president was possible.
In 2022 Erdoğan said that removing Assad from power was no longer a priority for Turkey. Despite high-level talks between Ankara and Damascus brokered by Russia the same year, no significant progress was made.
As part of a broader effort to improve relations with Gulf countries, Turkey is now considering re-establishing ties with Damascus if there is progress on counterterrorism efforts, on the return of millions of Syrian refugees hosted in Turkey and on the political process.
Last week, Erdoğan said that he would not rule out a possible meeting with al-Assad to help restore bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria. In another statement today, he said he would invite al-Assad to Turkey for a joint meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Özel said although Erdoğan and his government came close to labeling CHP officials as “traitors” for meeting with al-Assad in the past, Erdoğan has now changed his stance and has given a green light for a reconciliation with the Syrian president.
He said in addition to meeting with al-Assad, his party will also organize a conference on the refugee problem in Turkey in August where suggestions for a possible solution will be discussed.
“There are many challenges in Syria. There is not only one government and its soldiers on the other side of the border [with Turkey],” said Özel, referring to the various armed factions in the neighboring country.