Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan suggested that a visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin could initiate a new phase in Turkey-Syria relations. The potential visit could foster reconciliation between Turkey and Syria, whose ties deteriorated during the Syrian civil war. The only opposition to this rapprochement, Erdogan noted, came from Islamic State and Kurdish militants.

In a notable development in Middle Eastern diplomacy, President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey indicated that a potential visit by Russia's Vladimir Putin might be the catalyst for a renewed relationship between Turkey and Syria. Erdogan's remarks, broadcast by NTV, stressed that such a meeting could commence a new chapter in regional rapprochement.

"We may extend an invitation to Mr. Putin along with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. If Mr. Putin can carry out a visit to Turkey, this could be the start of a new process," Erdogan was quoted saying to reporters following his return from Kazakhstan, where he conferred with Putin.

The specific nature of the invite—whether it pertains to Assad visiting Turkey or a meeting elsewhere—remains ambiguous. Erdogan emphasized that the primary adversaries to Turkey and Syria mending relations were Islamic State and Kurdish militants, highlighting the complexities of mending ties severed since the Syrian civil war in 2011, when Turkey backed anti-Assad rebels.

(With inputs from agencies.)