Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara aims to develop good relations with Syria and Iraq, and both countries need to be stable for counterterrorism efforts to succeed.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara aims to develop good relations with Syria and Iraq, and both countries need to be stable for counterterrorism efforts to succeed.

Since taking office in May, Yildirim has repeatedly said that Turkey needs to “increase its friends and decrease its enemies” – an apparent tacit admission that past policies have left Ankara sidelined.

“It is our greatest and irrevocable goal: Developing good relations with Syria and Iraq, and all our neighbors that surround the Mediterranean and the Black Sea,” Yildirim said, in comments broadcast live on television.

“We normalized relations with Russia and Israel. I’m sure we will normalize relations with Syria as well.”

ISIL has established a network across the border in Turkey that has been blamed for a series of suicide bombings, some of which have targeted foreign tourists.

“There is currently no change in Turkey’s Syria policy. Turkey does not want to have problems with any countries in the region and emphasizes the importance of ending terrorism as well as engaging in close cooperation for regional stability,” one official told Reuters after Yildirim’s comments.

“Of course Turkey wants to normalize ties with Syria, but there is no change in Turkey’s policy regarding Syria with Assad.”