By Xinhua,
Damascus : Syrian President Bashar al-Assadon Saturday held talks with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on activation of the peace process in the Middle East.
The two leaders discussed “ways of activating a just and comprehensive peace process”, said the official SANA news agency.
According to SANA, Assad praised efforts made by Turkey in this regard and expressed Syria’s readiness to “continue cooperation with Turkey in all what serves security and stability of the region.”
However, Assad did not reveal any more details.
For his part, Erdogan expressed his deep satisfaction over the outcome of the “positive and fruitful” talks with President Assad, stressing the importance of Syria’s role in finding political solutions to the existing issues in the region.
Both sides also discussed the latest developments in the region, particularly in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, as well as the bilateral relations of cooperation between Syria and Turkey, particularly in the economic field.
They agreed to continue consultation and coordination regarding the issues raised at various levels, SANA said.
Erdogan arrived here earlier on Saturday, whose visit to Syria raised much attention from outside world following an announcement of Assad earlier this week that Turkey has been mediating between Syria and Israel since last year.
Ankara has recently passed a message from the Jewish state expressing a readiness to withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for peace, Assad told the Qatari daily Al-Watan in an interview published on Thursday, adding “what we now need is to find common ground through the Turkish mediator.”
Before leaving for Damascus earlier in the day, Erdogan also told the state-run Anatolia news agency that it was almost obligatory for Turkey to take a mediating role due to the credibility it has.
He said he hoped to start low-level peace talks between Syria and Israel. “In the first place, we are thinking of getting officials appointed from both sides together. If this yields positive results, efforts will begin to bring the leaders together.”
Last Sunday, Assad confirmed indirect contact with Israel through an anonymous third party to explore the possibility of resuming peace talks.
But the Syrian president denied secret talks with Israel, saying “what Syria could do in this regard will be announced to the public and the only criterion to accept any talks is to be serious and committed to UN resolutions.”
Peace talks between Syria and Israel foundered in 2000 due to the dispute over the fate of the strategic Golan Heights, which was occupied by the Jewish state in the 1967 Middle East war.