Syria sees itself as a local peacemaker

Hürriyet Daily News with wires

During an official visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan on Wednesday, al-Assad met with his Armenian counterpart, Serge Sarkisian, and said, "We in Syria have received with great satisfaction the steps that are aimed at normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations." "I told the president of Armenia that we are ready to help move forward those relations," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted the Syrian leader as saying. He also argued that Syria is in a position to do so because of its "close relationships" with both Armenia and Turkey. 

Sarkisian did not comment on al-Assad’s offer during their joint news conference. Instead, he praised the current state of Syrian-Armenian ties and stressed the need to boost bilateral economic cooperation. "Our friendship is a good example that must be showcased to both our peoples and others."

Ankara and Yerevan agreed in April on a "road map" deal for U.S.-backed talks that could lead to the normalizing of ties and the opening of their border, which Turkey closed in a show of support to Azerbaijan in 1993 after the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Turkish officials, however, have said Turkey will not open its border with Armenia before the neighboring country ends its occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, reassuring Azerbaijani leaders that Ankara's efforts to reconcile with Yerevan would not undermine the country's interests.

Syria held Turkey-mediated indirect talks with Israel last year, however, they collapsed over Israel's offensive on Gaza in late December. Damascus, which is seeking a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, Syria wants to resume stalled indirect peace talks with Jewish state, according to Turkish officials.