Turkey willing to work with Syria and Russia: Erdogan

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Thursday that Turkey is willing to work with Syria and Russia, Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency reported.

"Currently, we want to take a step with Syria and Russia, as a trio. For this, first, our intelligence organizations should come together, then our defense ministers and, then our foreign ministers should meet," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters aboard the presidential plane returning from his Turkmenistan trip.

He also added that leaders Turkey, Russia, and Syria could also meet for talks after the meeting of intelligence, defense, and foreign officials.

Moreover, Erdogan said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin welcomed this proposal in their latest phone talk.

Erdogan also threatened to take matters in their own hands if the US continues to support Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, while asking Russia to clear the border from Kurdish-led forces.

Read More: Erdogan tells Putin to 'clear' Kurdish forces from northern Syria

Turkey has been threatening to launch a new military operation into northern Syria to push out the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) he blames for the November Istanbul attack that killed six.

The SDF has denied involvement in the attack.

The Syrian government has recently also put a blockade on the Kurdish-held areas in northern Aleppo, amidst Turkish reconciliation messages towards Damascus.

Also on Nov. 23, Turkish President Erdogan said he has not ruled out meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

Read More: Syria Kurds fear thaw between Assad regime and Turkey

Turkey's foreign minister in August called for reconciliation between Assad and the Syrian opposition, and Turkey's intelligence chief has visited Damascus.

However, Reuters earlier reported that Syria’s President Assad is resisting Russian efforts to broker a summit with Turkey’s President Erdogan.