President Erdoğan: I am still hopeful about Assad.

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During his statements to journalists upon returning from his visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, President Erdoğan evaluated the revitalized normalization process between Turkey and Syria.

"I AM STILL HOPEFUL"

Stating "I am still hopeful about Assad," Erdoğan said, "I still have hope that we can come together and hopefully put the Syria-Turkey relations back on track. Because we need to eliminate the terrorist organizations between Syria and Turkey. The territorial integrity of Syria is threatened by terrorists, primarily the PKK/PYD/YPG. Assad must realize this and take steps to initiate a new climate in his country and take ownership of it. The threat from Israel next door is not a fairy tale. It should not be forgotten that the fire in the surrounding unstable lands will spread rapidly," he said.

HE HAD LEFT THE ROOM WHILE ASSAD WAS SPEAKING

Meanwhile, during the Extraordinary Joint Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League held in Riyadh, President Erdoğan had left the room while Syrian President Bashar Assad was speaking.