Turkey severed ties with Syria after the 2011 war and supported adversary groups looking to oust Assad.

It has carried out several cross-border military operations against militants it says threaten its national security and formed a "safe zone" in northern Syria where Turkish troops are now stationed, Mehr News Agency reported.

However, amid a regional charm offensive aimed predominantly at normalizing ties with Persian Gulf countries, Turkey has also said it may restore ties with Damascus if there is progress on the fight against terrorism, on the safe and voluntary return of millions of refugees hosted by Turkey, and on the political process.

Asked by reporters about Assad's reported comments that his government was open to normalization initiatives as long as they respected Syria's sovereignty and contributed to counter-terrorism, Erdogan said Ankara and Damascus could act to restore ties.