(Al Jazeera) Ten years ago, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister of Turkey, hosted Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad for a family holiday in the Aegean resort of Bodrum as relations between Turkey and Syria soared to new heights.
After decades of Cold War animosity, the Erdogan government that took power in 2002 had built new ties with its southern neighbour and trade and diplomatic ties flourished.
Much of this rapprochement was underpinned by the personal friendship of the countries’ leaders as Erdogan and Assad jetted back and forth on amicable visits. […]
As for Turkey’s attitude to a post-war Assad government, Sener Akturk, author of Turkey’s Role in the Arab Spring and the Syrian Conflict, said Turkey may not recognise its legitimacy but would have to accept it, much as it does the Greek-Cypriot government, Armenian control of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem.
“Turkey, both before and under Erdogan’s governments, came to terms with these de facto outcomes … but does not recognise any of them as legitimate,” he said. […]
“The relationship was broken after the Assad regime launched its policy of mass murder and mass deportations and, as such, this break seems to be irrevocable,” Akturk said.
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