Turkey has been the primary supporter of the Syrian opposition for more than a decade of war, while Russia has supported the Syrian government.
The conflict, which has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and drawn in regional and world powers, is on the ground in its second decade, although fighting is at a lower intensity than in earlier years.
Backed by Russia and Iran, Assad’s government has recovered most of Syrian territory. Turkish-backed opposition fighters still control a pocket in the northwest, and Kurdish fighters backed by the United States also control territory near the Turkish border.
The United States stated that it does not support countries re-establishing ties with Assad.
“We will not normalize and we do not support other countries normalizing relations with the Assad regime,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price told a daily briefing.
