Turkiye Foreign Minister soon to head to Moscow for Syria talks

A four-way meeting in Moscow between Turkiye, Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime will be held on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said on Tuesday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

“I’m going to Moscow from here. We will hold the meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria in Moscow,” Cavusoglu said at an event in the southern Antalya province.

“Our aim is to achieve permanent stability and peace in Syria, to cooperate in the fight against the YPG/PKK terrorist organisation that wants to divide Syria and threaten us from there, and to ensure that Syrians in Turkiye return to their homes in a voluntary and safe manner.

“I hope our meeting tomorrow will be beneficial,” Cavusoglu added.

Cavusoglu, on Tuesday, will start a two-day visit to Moscow to attend the meeting, said the Foreign Ministry.

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At the meeting, participants are set to exchange views on normalising relations between Turkiye and Syria and to discuss counter-terrorism, political process and humanitarian matters, including the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrians, the Ministry said in a statement.

Cavusoglu will also hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting.

Last December, defence ministers and intelligence chiefs of Turkiye, Russia, and the Syrian regime met in Moscow and agreed to continue tripartite meetings to ensure stability in Syria and the wider region.

Iran was also included in the talks, with Turkiye previously saying that Ankara would be “pleased if Iran is involved in this process.”

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

Since 2016, Turkiye has launched several cross-border operations into northern Syria to establish security and stability along the border region, protect Syrian civilians from the terrorist groups, allow the safe resettlement of Syrians and also protect the territorial integrity of both Turkiye and Syria.

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