(Photo : RAMIL SITDIKOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iran concluded two days of talks in Moscow, as part of the Kremlin's efforts to serve as a mediator between the Turkish and Syrian governments.
- Russia tries to ease tensions between Syria and Turkey
- An attempt to mend ties while partner China does the same in the Middle East
- Turkey and Syria have protracted disagreements on the security issues which affect them
Syrian, Turkish, Russian, and Iranian deputy foreign ministers concluded two days of discussions for Syria-Turkey reconciliation without agreeing on a date or location for a conference to prepare a summit.
Russia hailed the meetings as "frank and direct," while Turkey viewed them as "transparent and clear."
Russia Hosts Talks with Turkey, Syria, and Iran
During the discussions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the Syrian and Turkish parties to be adaptable and efficient, avoid hostile rhetoric, and seek common ground.
He stated that Moscow and Tehran would work to establish favorable conditions for continued discussions between the opposing groups in Syria's civil conflict. According to the UN, the conflict has ravaged the nation and killed over 350,000 fighters and civilians.
Since 2011, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has conducted a proxy war against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Tehran has sent paramilitaries to strengthen the Syrian army, while Moscow has given air assistance, allowing Assad to retake control of 70% of the nation, Irish Times reported.
The Kremlin has also repeatedly attempted to assist Syria in repairing strained ties with other nations, especially neighboring Turkey, which has supported armed opposition to Assad during the 12-year conflict. Per AP News, the Turkish and Syrian military ministers met in Moscow in December, the first such meeting since Syria's revolt turned civil war began in 2011.
Syria's deputy foreign minister, Ayman Sousan, praised Russia and Iran for their assistance in "confronting terrorism" in statements broadcast by the state news agency SANA. Sousan chastised those nations who "took advantage of the situation created by this war to send their forces to Syria illegally" and backed "terrorist groups."
Read Also: Syrian FM Visits Egypt After Severing Diplomatic Ties in 2011
Turkey-Syria Tensions
During Syria's civil war, Turkey has sponsored armed opposition organizations seeking to destabilize Assad's administration, which has murdered almost 500,000 people and displaced half of the country's prewar population.
Turkey de facto controls significant swaths of northern Syria, and Sousan stressed that the evacuation of the Turkish military from Syrian land is necessary for normalizing relations, according to Fox News.
Despite Turkey's assistance for Syrian opposition forces in the north, Ankara and Damascus are concerned about the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria's northeast.
Turkey-backed opposition forces battled with the SDF in the past, accusing them of being an extension of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. For decades, the PKK has fought against the Turkish government in Ankara.
Assad's regime has portrayed the SDF as a separatist army stealing the country's resources while holding Syria's biggest oil reserves.
The attempts toward Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces presidential and legislative elections in May, faces significant domestic pressure to return Syrian refugees amid a severe economic crisis and rising anti-refugee sentiment.
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