Turkey can no longer insist on a resolution of the conflict in Syria without the involvement of President Bashar Assad, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said Friday, just three days before new peace talks.

Turkey acknowledged last year that Assad remains an important actor in Syria but the remarks were the first in which Ankara has openly envisaged a deal which does not include his ouster.

After suffering several setbacks in Syria, Daesh has gone on the offensive – reclaiming ancient Palmyra in December and launching an attack on a government-held city and military air base in Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria.

The latest developments come as Russia and Syria signed an agreement on significantly expanding and modernizing Russia's Tartous naval base in Syria, a Russian government document showed.

Turkey's military said Friday that Daesh killed five Turkish soldiers and wounded nine in a bomb attack in northern Syria.

Since its military intervention, Turkey has lost 54 soldiers in Syria, most of them in the Al-Bab offensive.

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