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Normalisation with Syria

Saying that the opposition is calling for the mass deportation of Syrian refugees in Trkiye, Erdogan noted that "it is impossible to agree with that".

"But I can tell that Turkish NGOs are now doing serious work in terms of reconstruction in northern Syria. They're building houses. These houses are built so that Syrians in Trkiye can return to their homeland," he said.

"Now we are taking another step. In fact, we have also prepared some projects related to housing construction in Syria for the return of nearly one million refugees to their lands. These are pretty cool projects. Together with these projects, we will ensure that Syrian refugees return to their own countries, to their own lands," he added.

Responding to a question on whether restoring relations with Syrian regime head Bashar Al Assad is a possibility, Erdogan said: "I've made some remarks on this. I had a friendship with the Assad family. We used to meet as a family. We were in such a position. Unfortunately, due to some later developments, there was a break in our close relations. This break also upset us."

"(Through) my friendship with President Putin, we thought we could open a door, specifically in our fight against terrorism in the northern part of Syria, which requires close cooperation and solidarity. If we can do that, I said I see no obstacle that would remain in the way of our reconciliation," he added.

When asked about Assad's demand on Trkiye to withdraw its military from Syria for a meeting, Erdogan said: "We have more than 900 kilometres (559 miles) of border and there is a constant terror threat from those borders on our country. The only reason we have a military presence on the border is to fight terrorism. That's the sole reason."

Erdogan said Trkiye will not withdraw from Syria because "the terror threat continues".

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