Turkey, Syria seriously interested in resuming dialogue – Russian top diplomat – Russian politics and diplomacy

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Turkey and Syria are showing serious interest in resuming dialogue, and Russia will actively contribute to the resumption of these talks, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper. Hurry.

Russia’s top diplomat pointed out that previously revealed differences between the positions of Damascus and Ankara led to a pause in the negotiation process.

“The Syrian government insists that it is first necessary to address the withdrawal of the Turkish military contingent from Syrian territory. Turkey reaffirms its commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but proposes to revisit the issue of military withdrawal at a later date. Given the signals from both capitals indicating serious interest in resuming dialogue, we will actively support the negotiation process as soon as possible,” he stated.

Lavrov also emphasized that normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey is crucial for stabilizing Syria and strengthening security in the Middle East. The Foreign Minister added that Russia is making continuous efforts to overcome the contradictions between Damascus and Ankara. Among the issues of particular importance, Lavrov highlighted the return of Syrian refugees, the fight against terrorism and border security.

Syria has been embroiled in armed conflict since 2011. The Astana Talks, also known as the Astana Format, have been ongoing since 2017, with 21 meetings held so far. The Astana format includes Russia, Iran and Turkey as guarantor countries in resolving the Syrian crisis, in addition to representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, the UN and observer countries: Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he expects “constructive steps” toward normalizing relations with Syria in the near future. Erdogan mentioned in Kazan that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help convince Syrian President Bashar Assad to respond to Ankara’s call for normalization of relations.