Assad: "Turkey's steps are being followed in the region with great enthusiasm"

Every step taken by Turkey is being followed in the region with great enthusiasm and interest, said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday. Speaking to Turkish reporters ahead of his visit to Turkey set to begin tomorrow, he said that Ankara's role in the region is rising, and that it has gained the support of other regional actors with its policies and peace efforts. On Ankara's democratic initiative to solve Turkey's so-called Kurdish question or southeastern Anatolia issue, Assad said he had no firsthand information on the plan, but that he and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would discuss it tomorrow. “Relations between our two countries have improved rapidly,” he added. “But it takes time to improve economic relations. Businessmen naturally want initiatives to go rapidly.” He also said, “Many Turkish firms operate here. There are factories established by Turks. I think we’re on a good track, we’re going fast but maybe we should go faster.”