Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan indicated that the Syrian government is not ready to reach an agreement and end the conflict with the Syrian opposition or normalize relations with Turkey.
Fidan stated, "Turkey wants to see President Bashar al-Assad's government establish a political framework with the opposition that they can agree on in a conflict-free environment. It is important for the government to provide a safe and stable environment for its people, alongside the opposition."
In remarks to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, published yesterday (Sunday), Fidan differentiated between communications with Turkey and dialogue with the opposition, saying, "Communications and dialogue are separate issues; the real dialogue should be with the Syrian opposition. Our desire is for Assad to reach an agreement with his opponents."
He added, "But as far as we know, Assad and his partners are not ready to resolve some issues and are not prepared to reach a significant agreement and normalization with the Syrian opposition."