Erdogan proposed a meeting with Bashar Al-Assad in New York

The Turkish head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, revealed on Saturday that he plans to meet his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The stated goal is to normalize relations between the two countries, broken since 2012 at the beginning of the conflict in Syria.

Erdogan, who was preparing to fly to New York where he is due to speak on Monday, told reporters that he had requested the meeting and was now waiting for Assad’s response. The move marks a major turnaround for the Turkish president, who had previously supported the Syrian offensive against the Assad regime.

Turkey, which hosts more than 3.2 million Syrian refugees according to the UN, also controls areas in northwestern Syria with the support of rebel groups.

Erdogan also confirmed that the situation in Gaza would be at the center of his talks in New York. He expressed Turkey’s desire to help end the violence in Gaza and condemned what he called Israel’s “aggressive policies”. Turkey’s president expressed concern over recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon, fearing a regional escalation of the conflict. He called on the international community, especially Western countries, to take strict measures to prevent Israel’s actions, rather than being passive. Erdogan promised to raise the issue of stopping violence in the Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, with all the leaders he meets. The Turkish president used strong words, referring to “genocide in Gaza” and condemning what he called “global Zionism”, showing Turkey’s hard stance on this conflict.