Erdogan due in Damascus to revive Turkey-Brokered peace talks between Syria, Israel

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a previously unscheduled visit to Damascus, Syria on Wednesday to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on restarting Turkey-mediated peace talks between Syria and Israel. During the meeting, the two leaders are also expected to exchange views on forging a consensus among Arab states for lasting peace in the Middle East, and Syria's mediation efforts to solve problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia in light of Assad's recent visits to both countries. During the visit, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will accompany Erdogan. In other news, addressing his Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) delegates in Ankara at the AKP provincial congress over the weekend, Erdogan stressed that Ankara is striding confidently towards European Union membership. "Turkey is no longer a country whose agenda is set by others. Turkey is now a country that sets the agenda itself," Erdogan said. He added that Ankara has been made a world capital in many respects, including commercial, economic and political.