Erdogan starts high-profile visit to Syria

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived late yesterday in the Syrian capital Damascus for a two-day official visit. During his visit, Erdogan is set to attend the first prime ministerial meeting of the Turkey-Syria High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. He will also meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Utri. Several agreements will be signed on water, health, transportation, industry, foreign policy and higher education during the visit. Along with his wife Emine, Premier Erdogan is being accompanied by a number of Cabinet ministers, including Interior Minister Besir Atalay and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and a large business delegation. At a press conference prior to his departure, asked whether the situation in Camp Makhmour, a terrorist PKK base in northern Iraq, would be discussed during his visit, Erdogan said issues related to Turkey's national unity process, as well as developments on the government's democratic initiative and the diplomatic aspect of issues, would be discussed. Commenting on Israel being cool to possible Turkish mediation in the Middle East, Erdogan said Turkey was ready to undertake such a duty directly or indirectly if asked. "Turkey is ready to make all efforts for peace in the Middle East, because peace in this region means peace in the world," he added. Erdogan also said that Assad trusts Turkey and believes in its mediation efforts. "Turkey always supports peace and it is ready to assume any duty if asked," he explained. In related news, Syrian and Turkish officials yesterday opened a new railway border crossing and border gate between the countries, hours before Erdogan's visit began. Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim and his Syrian counterpart Yarob Badr attended the ceremony inaugurating the Cobankoy border gate in Kilis, Turkey. In a gesture, Assad and his wife Asma paid a visit to the Erdogans at their hotel last night.