FILE PHOTO: Turkish soldiers seen at the border town of Akcakale © Reuters / Murad Sezer
The defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Syria have agreed to form “join committees” to discuss the situation in Syria during their recent trilateral meeting, Al Jazeera reported on December 29, citing Turkish sources with knowledge on the matter.
The breakthrough meeting, which was held in Moscow on December 28, was the first between the defense ministers of Ankara and Damascus in more than a decade.
Al Jazeera said that the Russian-Turkish-Syrian joint committees will hold their first meetings in Moscow before the end of January. Later on, more meetings will be held in Ankara and Damascus.
The Qatari news channel sources also revealed that Ankara and Damascus have agreed on a joint mechanism to facilitate the return of refugees from Turkey to Syria when the situation is suitable. Currently, Turkey hosts more than three million Syrians who were displaced by the war in their country.
A plan to end the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control vast parts of northern and eastern Syria with support from the United States, was also discussed by the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers during the meeting in Moscow.
In addition, the two sides studied the possibility of opening key trade roads in Syria to facilitate the shipping of Turkish goods through the country.
The meeting, which was a part of a Russian plan to restore ties between Ankara and Damascus, was praised by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
“I can say that it was a useful meeting,” Turkey’s Hurriyet daily quoted Cavusoglu as saying on December 29. “We believe that contacts with the regime [of Syrian President Bashar Assad] are important to achieve a lasting peace and a political solution.”
“Such cooperation is important in view of reaching a compromise between the regime and [Syria’s] moderate opposition,” the Turkish minister added
Cavusoglu noted that for the upcoming round of talks “it is necessary to schedule a meeting at the level of the foreign ministers.”
“There is no exact date as of yet for such a meeting, and there is no clear date for similar talks between the countries’ leaders yet either,” he said. “However, January is still early for such a meeting, and even for negotiations [at the level of foreign ministers].”
The trilateral meeting in Moscow provoked the U.S., whose Department of State condemned any rapprochement with the Syrian government.
Despite the objection of the U.S., Turkey appears to be eager to restore ties with Syria in order to secure its border and solve its refugee crisis. From its side, Damascus believes that such a move would help ease its economic crisis, and preserve the territorial integrity of Syria.
All Turkey has to do is stop supporting the head hacking Terrorists and leave Syria.
Turkish army will never leave Syria. The blood of Turks fell on the ground on those area’s. The only thing that is a possibility is that the Turkish and Syrian army will work together against the US-led SDF forces. Those area’s under the PKK control will be taken over partly by the Turkish army and partly by the Syrian army.
That blood fell on someone elses land where they should not be,but not as much as Syrian blood.
That’s very true, the losers are the US, PKK, HTS and ISIS.
The Turks are a detestable, backwards people with no sense of honor. They’re like rats.
💨🤡 🖕😁
‘you’ (second of ‘IT’) SHITtila show through your anal-minded BESTIALITY HOW MUCH TOMMY LEE IS RIGHT. Stupid President Assad and betrayer of Suriya if believes the ‘allied’ Russian seller-of-Suriya-land and even worse THE UNHUMAN OGRE GENOCIDALS AND INVADERS OF MERDolfgan the Gollum sultan
Your comment is detestable. The sort of thing a backwards rat with no sense of honour would say. You can’t even spell honour properly.
It’s the perfect time for Turkey, Russia and al-Asad to teach psionists and their Kurdish insurrectionist-secessionist PKK-YPG-SDF slaves a lesson they will never ever forget.
Well done Russia.
What a load of shit. Notice how the shit for brains Turkish foreign minister calls the rightful government of Syria a “regime”. He then goes on to label the terrorists groups occupying parts of Syria “moderate opposition”. He is literally using U.S. talking points. The real terrorists are the Turkish government, and their continued looting and incursions into Syria. Absolutely anyone with to brain cells to rub, could figure that one out. Turkey has been looting Syria for years now. They aren’t going to let the gravy train stop. The only reason these “discussions” are happening, is because Erdogan is facing re-election, and is not popular in Turkey. He is doing this all for what he sees as political gain. He doesn’t give a shit about Turkey or Syria. He just wants to hold on to power.
The US telling Turkey it is not allowed to talk too it’s neighbor because the US will be affected 10,000 kms away.
How many billions per year (alone) for the 3 countries that share the same river valley
The one thing that has been preventing a normalization between Turkey and Assad is Assad’s refusal to reach a negotiated solution with the opposition. He just stalls and pretends to want negotiations but hopes to reinstate his dictatorial rule with no checks on his power. As long as he continues to do this, Turkish forces will NOT leave Syria, provided the AKP rules in Turkey.