Turkish, Syrian foreign ministers to hold quadrilateral meeting in Moscow
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.