Sharjah 24 – AFP: A new Turkish ground offensive in Syria is "possible any time", a top aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday, despite a Moscow-brokered rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara.
Erdogan's foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin said the Russian push for peace did not mean Turkey was abandoning the option of launching a new campaign that Ankara has been warning might happen for months.
"A ground operation is possible any time, depending on the level of threats we receive," Kalin told reporters.
"Turkey never targets the Syrian state or Syrian civilians."
His comments came two days after Assad said future talks with Ankara should aim for "the end of occupation" by Turkey of parts of Syria.
Syrian and Turkish defence chiefs held their first meeting since 2011 in Moscow in late December.
Kalin said the two sides will hold a "series of meetings" in preparation for a possible presidential summit.
He said a proposed meeting between the foreign ministers, expected to be held in Moscow, could take place in mid-February.
Kalin said that meeting might be preceded by another round of talks between the defence ministers.
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