Ministers may meet in Moscow to advance Turkiye-Syria ties

The foreign ministers of Turkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria may hold consultations in early May as part of Russia’s attempt to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister said on Monday, Reuters reports.

NATO alliance member, Turkiye, has been a major backer of the political and armed opposition to Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad during a 12-year civil war, and has sent its own troops into swathes of the country’s north.

READ: US ‘opposes’ Turkiye’s normalisation of ties with Syria regime

“The meeting will most probably take place in early May, in Moscow,” Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster, A Haber, saying it could lead to a leaders’ meeting.

Syrian and Turkish defence ministers held talks in Moscow in December in the highest-level encounter since the war began.

Moscow is Assad’s main ally and Russia has encouraged reconciliation with Ankara. But Damascus demands full withdrawal of Turkish troops for relations to be restored.

READ: Syria opposition uneasy after Turkish, Syrian defence ministers meet