Turkish and Syrian Defense Ministers May Meet as Normalization Efforts Continue

12 August

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler has indicated that a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, could be on the horizon as part of the ongoing normalization of relations between Turkey and Syria.

 

In a statement to Reuters, Guler noted, "Turkey and Syria may hold a ministerial-level meeting as part of efforts to normalize relations between them if suitable conditions are created."

 

This potential meeting would follow the first talks between the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers since 2011, which took place in December 2022 in Moscow, mediated by Russia.

 

On June 28, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his willingness to restore diplomatic relations with Damascus, which were severed in 2012. Erdogan has tasked Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan with preparing a roadmap for this normalization process. Fidan has previously stated that discussions to arrange a meeting between Erdoğan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are underway, with the talks expected to occur in a third country.

 

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Based on materials from TASS