The foreign ministers of Russia, Syria and Turkey will meet this month to continue the talks on Syria that began last week. It is the most important meeting of the countries since the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011. Bloomberg reports.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last night that he had spoken with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov about when and where the follow-up meeting should take place, state-run Anadolu News Agency reported. The new step towards a diplomatic solution comes from Turkey and neighboring Syria, which have strengthened diplomatic ties.
Earlier this week, the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria – Hulusi Akar and Ali Mahmoud Abbas respectively – also met in Moscow, accompanied by their Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu. The directors of the Turkish and Syrian secret services were also present at that meeting.
Civil war
At the center of the meeting was the civil war that has been raging in Syria since 2011 and cooperation against all ‘terrorist movements’ in the Middle East. Turkey thus looks obliquely at the Kurdish community in Syria, and at its militias. According to Shojgu, the focus was precisely on extremist groups on Syrian territory.
Turkey’s rapprochement with Syria indicates a clear turnaround in relations. Earlier, Turkey said it would put hostilities on hold with neighboring Syria because the Turks fear the emergence of a US-backed Kurdish state. The US is still providing military support to Kurdish militias in Syria, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is far from happy about it.
New offensive
For months, Erdogan has threatened to launch a new military offensive to widen Turkey’s buffer zone in Syria, pulling the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and the PYD away from the shared border. Such plans have aroused irritation and criticism from the United States, which has said that a unilateral Turkish offensive would hinder the fight against the Islamic State, in which the People’s Protection Units also participate.
Turkey, however, sees the People’s Protection Units as an extension of the PKK Kurdish separatist movement, and therefore wants to fight it. Interesting detail: The United States and the European Union also see the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
