ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria said on Tuesday that its representatives discussed the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the country during a top meeting with the defense and intelligence heads of Turkey, Russia and Iran in Moscow earlier in the day.
The defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Turkey, Russia and Syria met in Moscow late December, marking the first high-level meeting between Ankara and Damascus since the war in Syria began in 2011. Another meeting was held in the same city on Tuesday, with Iran joining the talks which aim at de-escalating tensions in the region.
The Syrian defense ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria was discussed during the summit, reported state media.
Turkey, with the support of its Syrian mercenaries, controls northwest Syria and it has in recent years invaded two Kurdish towns in northern Syria. Ankara has recently threatened to launch a fresh offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria, seeing them as a threat to its national security due to their alleged ties to Kurdish rebels at home.
The Syrian government has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the country, accusing Ankara of supporting “terrorism” in reference to rebels.
Russian and Turkish defense ministers did not mention the withdrawal of Turkish forces in their statements.
Russia said they discussed practical steps to strengthen security in Syria and normalize Ankara-Damascus relations which have been thorny since the beginning of Syrian civil war after Turkey accused Syrian regime of oppressing protesters during 2011 uprising.
Turkey has recently expressed its willingness to mend ties with Syria but Damascus has conditions, including the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the country.
The statement from the Syrian defense ministry also said that the Syrian officials called on Turkey during the summit to reopen a strategic highway, known as M4 highway, in northern Syria which it said could pave the way for the restoration of Syria's trade with neighboring countries.
The Turkish defense ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that they discussed “strengthening the security situation in Syria and concrete steps that can be taken in the field of normalization of Turkey-Syria relations.”
“The [four] parties confirmed that they respect Syria's territorial integrity,” it added.
Russia is the main backer of the Syrian regime and it has supported a potential normalization of Ankara-Damascus ties.
Millions of Syrian refugees live in Turkey but Ankara wants to send them back home after striking a deal with Damascus. This issue was discussed during the Moscow summit, according to the Turkish defense ministry.
