Assad declines Erdogan's request for talks on Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said his attempts to meet with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad were rebuffed.

"We made a call to Assad, saying, 'Come and let's determine the future of Syria together.' Unfortunately, we did not receive a positive response on this issue," Erdoğan said.

He did not specify when the overture was made.

Earlier, Erdoğan spoke with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over the phone during a meeting of Türkiye's top security council, discussing regional and global issues.