ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not ruled out possible contact with President Bashar Assad in a sign that his stance may be softening toward the Syrian leader. Responding to a question about a possible contact or cooperation with Assad in view of both leaders' opposition to Syrian Kurdish fighters, Erdogan told journalists: "The political doors are always open until the last minute." Erdogan was speaking on board his plane on his return from a trilateral meeting with Russia and Iran to promote a peaceful settlement in Syria that took place in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Wednesday. His comments were reported by Hurriyet newspaper and other media on Friday.