Syrian President Bashar Assad has invited his American counterpart Barack Obama to a summit in Damascus.

Assad told Sky News late Thursday, "We would like to welcome him in Syria, definitely. I am very clear about this." When asked whether this could happen soon, the Syrian leader replied: "That depends on him…I will ask you to convey the invitation to him."

Watch Assad's comments:

According to Assad, "Any summit between any two presidents is something positive... That doesn't mean you have to agree about everything. But when you discuss, this is how we can close the gap. It's normal to have differences between different cultures, between different nations and states."

"But I think the United States has a special role as the greatest power. I think President Obama should visit as many countries as he can in order to make these dialogues. And of course that includes Syria," he said.

Assad noted that "a big change comes when you make actions," adding that "an invitation is about dialogue, dialogue is about having common ground, a common vision. Then you have to make a plan then, later, you take action."