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Syria opposition to meet Turkiye officials amid accelerating rapprochement with Damascus

January 2, 2023 at 1:38 pm

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shake hands after a news conference in Ankara, on June 8, 2022 [ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images]

The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces will hold a meeting with Turkish officials on Monday to discuss the recent rapprochement between Ankara and the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, media sources reported.

The meeting comes at a time as political rapprochement between Turkiye and the Syrian regime is accelerating at a fast pace, which has caused concern within the Istanbul-based body.

The coalition has requested the meeting seeking answers to many questions related to this rapprochement, before issuing an official position to the Syrian opposition street, which categorically rejects any rapprochement with the Assad regime.

The latest sign of rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed, on Saturday, that in mid-January he will meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and the Syrian regime’s Foreign Minister, Faisal Al-Miqdad, indicating that “the meeting may take place in a third country”.

Cavusoglu declined to reveal the name of that country, noting that the meeting venue will be disclosed later when it is determined as there are several proposed alternatives in this regard.

Despite Turkish officials’ assurances that the rapprochement with the Assad regime will not come at the Syrian opposition expense, the latter, represented by the Istanbul-based Syrian National Coalition, views with great concern this development, which had sent shock waves into the Syrian opposition street, especially in northern Syria.

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