Defense ministers of Türkiye, Syria, Russia meet in Moscow

Photo: AA

Defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Türkiye, Russia and Syria met in Moscow yesterday (December 28) in what was the highest-level meeting between Ankara and Damascus since the start of the war in Syria in 2011.

The officials discussed solutions to the crisis in Syria, the fight against extremist groups and the refugee issue, according to statements from ministries.

Speaking to reporters at the Vnukova Airport before his return to Türkiye, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, "We have discussed what could be done in order for the situation in Syria and in the region to develop in a positive direction as soon as possible, and for peace, calm and stability to be reached," as quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).

In a written statement, Russia's Defense Ministry said there had been constructive dialogue and that they had agreed on "the necessity to stick to this format in order to reach stability in Syria and the region."

The meeting comes amid Ankara's efforts to normalize relations with Damascus. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested a "tripartite mechanism" earlier this month, which was welcomed by Moscow. The president had also talked about a "reset" in the relations with Syria if he wins next year's elections.

In August, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu revealed that he had had a "short conversation" with his counterpart from Syria on the sidelines of a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Belgrade in October 2021.

A new ground offensive

In return for normalizing relations with Syria, Türkiye wants Russia to allow a ground offensive into the Kurdish-controlled areas in the country's north.

Also in August, Erdoğan said after a visit to Putin that Russia would give the green light for an offensive if Ankara re-established relations with Damascus.

"One of the most important issues we communicated in the meeting was fighting terrorism. We emphasized that we respect the territorial integrity and the sovereignty rights of all our neighbors, that our sole purpose is to fight terrorism, and that we did not have any other purpose," said Akar.

He further said Ankara wants to "counteract members of terrorist organizations such as PKK/YPG and ISIS" and "trying to secure that there will not be any further migration from Syria to Türkiye as a result of this joint work to be carried out."

Ankara considers the People's Protection Units (YPG) and its affiliates "extensions" of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an armed insurgency for nearly four decades and is deemed a "terrorist" group by Türkiye, the US and the EU.

The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which Türkiye calls a "state of terrorism," currently controls about 25 percent of the country, including most of its natural resources and arable land.

Türkiye has carried out four major military operations in Syria's north since 2016, with two of them directly targeting Kurdish-controlled areas. (VK)