Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that he is not ruling out a possible meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help restore bilateral relations between the two countries..

Turkey severed ties with Syria after 2011 civil war and supported rebels trying to oust Assad.

It has carried out several cross-border military operations against militants it claims threaten its national security, while establishing a “safe zone” in northern Syria where Turkish troops are now stationed.

However, as part of a regional diplomacy aimed mainly at normalizing relations with Gulf countries, Turkey has said it may restore ties with Damascus if progress is made in the fight against terrorism, the safe and voluntary return of millions of refugees it hosts Turkey.

Asked by reporters about Assad’s comments that his government is open to normalization initiatives as long as they respect Syria’s sovereignty and contribute to the fight against terrorism, Erdogan said that Ankara and Damascus could take initiatives to restore relations.

“There is no reason why it shouldn’t happen,” Erdogan said, adding that Turkey had no intention of interfering in Syria’s internal affairs.

“Just as we have kept our ties very alive in the past we certainly cannot say that this will not happen again in the future, it may happen,” he said after Friday prayers.

Syrian officials have repeatedly said that any move toward normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara can only happen after Turkey agrees to withdraw thousands of troops it has stationed in the rebel-held northwest.

In April 2023, the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Iran, Russia, Syria and Turkey held talks, as part of efforts to rebuild Turkey-Syria ties after years of hostility.