Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has met with former Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab during his trip to Doha, Qatar.
On Monday, Cavusoglu tweeted, “With former Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab, I discussed the latest developments related to the Syrian crisis.”
“We exchanged views on recent developments in Syria,” he added.
The minister arrived in Doha with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a summit to last for two days on various regional issues.
Çavuşoğlu has met with the former prime minister several times in recent years, most recently in March this year.
Riad Hijab served as Syria’s Prime Minister between June and August 2012. He later defected from the Assad regime following anti-regime protests.
Following his defection, Hijab became president of the Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Commission. He resigned from the position at the end of 2017.
On Sunday, Cavusoglu said that “the regime’s request to return to the Arab League will enable it to continue with its brutality and hinder the political solution.”
The minister stressed at a joint press conference that the only solution in Syria is a political one.
The foreign minister of Qatar also refused any normalization, saying that the reasons and concerns for suspending the Syrian regime from the Arab League still exist.
