Russia leads talks to boost Ankara-Damascus relations

MOSCOW — Defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkiye held quadripartite talks in Moscow on Tuesday to explore measures aimed at strengthening security in Syria and normalizing Turkish-Syrian relations.

The participants paid special attention to the issues of countering all manifestations of terrorist threats and the fight against all extremist groups in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said all four countries had reaffirmed their "desire to preserve Syria's territorial integrity and the need to intensify efforts for the speedy return of Syrian refugees to their homeland".

The statement said the sides also emphasized the importance of the continuation of the four-party meetings "to ensure and maintain stability in Syria and the region as a whole".

Moscow said the talks also focused on "practical steps to normalize Turkish-Syrian relations".

Ankara also pointed to the "constructive atmosphere" of the meeting. "Our aim is to solve the problems through negotiations and to bring peace to the region as soon as possible," said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

In Damascus, the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the "quartet meeting of the defense ministers" had discussed "the withdrawal of Turkish forces" from Syria.

The diplomatic contact between Ankara and Damascus had been suspended for the past 10 years.

Turkiye has backed political and armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the 12-year civil war, and sent its own troops to the northern part of Syria, leading to years of animosity between the two sides.

Agencies via Xinhua