Syria
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arriving in Moscow ahead of a meeting with the foreign ministers of Syria, Russia, and Iran. Photo: AA
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The foreign ministers of Turkey, Syria, Russia, and Iran are set to meet Wednesday in Moscow for talks on Syria in their first official meeting since a brutal civil war erupted in the country more than a decade ago.
The talks are “to achieve permanent stability and peace in Syria … and to ensure that Syrians in Turkiye return to their homes in a voluntary and safe manner,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, adding that cooperation against Kurdish forces will also be discussed.
“I hope our meeting tomorrow will be beneficial,” Cavusoglu added.
Since a deadly civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Turkey has supported rebel forces attempting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and maintains a heavy military presence in northern Syria that fights both the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to the ire of Damascus.
Talks between Syria and Turkey to restore ties aimed at an eventual summit between Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are being mediated by Russia and Iran.
However, Syria has voiced opposition to a potential meeting between Assad and Erdogan, repeatedly calling on Ankara to withdraw its military presence in the country before any summit could transpire.
On Monday, Cavusoglu said that a possible meeting between Assad and Erdogan “will very likely be done in 2023,” viewing it as the next step to the quadrilateral Wednesday meeting.
Turkey also justifies its presence in Syria on the grounds of its desire to repatriate around four million Syrian refugees who have resided in Turkey since the onset of the civil war. Moreover, it has launched several military operations against Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the backbone of the SDF and a force that Ankara views as the extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK is a Kurdish group that has waged an armed insurgency against Turkey in the fight for Kurdish political and cultural rights in the country and alongside its alleged proxies, is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
The talks are “to achieve permanent stability and peace in Syria … and to ensure that Syrians in Turkiye return to their homes in a voluntary and safe manner,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, adding that cooperation against Kurdish forces will also be discussed.
“I hope our meeting tomorrow will be beneficial,” Cavusoglu added.
Since a deadly civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Turkey has supported rebel forces attempting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and maintains a heavy military presence in northern Syria that fights both the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to the ire of Damascus.
Talks between Syria and Turkey to restore ties aimed at an eventual summit between Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are being mediated by Russia and Iran.
However, Syria has voiced opposition to a potential meeting between Assad and Erdogan, repeatedly calling on Ankara to withdraw its military presence in the country before any summit could transpire.
On Monday, Cavusoglu said that a possible meeting between Assad and Erdogan “will very likely be done in 2023,” viewing it as the next step to the quadrilateral Wednesday meeting.
Turkey also justifies its presence in Syria on the grounds of its desire to repatriate around four million Syrian refugees who have resided in Turkey since the onset of the civil war. Moreover, it has launched several military operations against Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the backbone of the SDF and a force that Ankara views as the extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK is a Kurdish group that has waged an armed insurgency against Turkey in the fight for Kurdish political and cultural rights in the country and alongside its alleged proxies, is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment