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Assad and Erdoğan discuss cooperation over iftar
Ahead of the iftar, the two leaders held a meeting at Erdoğan's office in Dolmabahçe Palace. Several regional issues were on the agenda of the talks between Erdoğan and Assad, including the recent tension between Iraq and Syria, the stalled peace process between Syria and Israel and Turkey's new democratization initiative, which aims to settle the Kurdish issue.
The course of affairs in bilateral relations between Syria and Turkey over the last decade may be considered a bold example of the implementation of Ankara's “zero-problem policy” in its neighborhood by reaching out to create an atmosphere of maximum cooperation among all its neighbors.
In the autumn of 1998, Syria and Turkey came to the brink of war over the presence of the now-jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, in Syria. At the time, Turkish troops were marshaled along the border with Syria, with Ankara demanding that Damascus cease its support for the PKK and hand over Öcalan. Ankara and Damascus have agreed to establish a similar strategic mechanism to the one which has recently been established between Turkey and Iraq.
While announcing last month Ankara's intention to establish a joint mechanism with Damascus that will be similar to the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council established between Ankara and Baghdad, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stated that Turkey also wished to improve cooperation between Turkey and Iraq, which is supported by various mechanisms, to offer a model for other countries in the region.
Turkey, meanwhile, is also trying to defuse a recent spat between Syria and Iraq triggered by Iraqi allegations that Damascus has been used as a launching pad for violence in Iraq. Syria has denied the charges.
On Tuesday, Ankara hosted “technical-level talks on intelligence issues” between Iraqi and Syrian diplomats who discussed tensions sparked by Iraqi claims that Syria is harboring militants who were behind deadly bombings in Baghdad.
Iraq has accused two Syria-based members of Saddam Hussein's now-outlawed Baath Party of being responsible for bombings in Baghdad that killed more than 100 people. Syria says Iraq has failed to provide proof that they were involved and has rejected Iraq's requests for extradition. The Iraqi and Syrian delegations, headed by the foreign ministers of the countries, are expected to meet again in İstanbul today to discuss the issue.
Turkey has rushed to ease tensions between Iraq and Syria in the wake of the bombings. A meeting was held in Cairo last week between Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Davutoğlu, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to resolve the crisis and persuade Iraq to withdraw its demand for an international tribunal.
Zebari in İstanbul along with eight other ministers
Zebari, who also arrived in İstanbul on Wednesday, was accompanied by eight other Iraqi ministers and a 40-member delegation. The trilateral ministerial meeting between Iraq, Syria and Turkey was actually arranged after the senior Iraqi delegation had decided to visit İstanbul.
Zebari and the other Iraqi ministers are in İstanbul for a three-day meeting with their Turkish counterparts led by Davutoğlu in preparation for the first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which will take place in Baghdad in October.
The upcoming meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council -- a joint meeting of the Iraqi and Turkish cabinets -- will be led by Erdoğan and his Iraqi counterpart, Nouri al-Maliki. The formation of such a council was outlined during Erdoğan's July 2008 visit to Baghdad.
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