ALBAWABA - Syrian President Bashar Assad plans to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
There were conflicting news reports whether the meeting will bring Assad with the Russian and Turkish presidents in a trilateral summit, or whether the Syrian strongman will hold separate meetings at different times with each.
An official in the Turkish government said that Erdogan does not mind meeting the Syrian president.
"However, the devastating earthquake that struck the country in February (scrambled) Erdogan's schedule," he said. He noted that Assad and Erdogan are likely to meet after the June 18 elections in Turkey.
International media outlets reported that the Syrian leader will visit Russia in mid-March.
Top on the meeting's agenda is discussions on bilateral relations and the war on Ukraine.
On Dec. 15, Turkey's president proposed to the Russian president a tripartite meeting that will also bring them together with Assad.
It was not immediately clear if that meeting has been planned for since.
Turkey's #Erdogan seeking a meeting with #Assad and Putin:
— Turkey Pulse (@TurkeyPulse) December 19, 2022
"We want to take a tripartite step as Syria-Turkey-Russia," he told reporters, adding that the three countries' defense and foreign ministers could come together first https://t.co/OI6k6VCkx1
