The military and intelligence heads of Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran will hold a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, Minister of Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar said on Monday.
"The defense and intelligence ministers of Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran will meet in Moscow on Tuesday. Our goal is to resolve existing issues through negotiations as soon as possible and ensure peace and tranquility in the region," the Turkish minister said on TRT television.
According to Akar, "a number of positive developments" are expected after the talks in Moscow. He did not specify details.
Normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus was launched on December 28, 2022, in Moscow, when consultations of the Russian, Syrian and Turkish defense ministers took place. At the meeting, an agreement was reached to create a joint trilateral commission. These consultations are to be followed by a meeting at the level of foreign ministers, the agenda of which will include holding talks between Presidents of Turkey and Syria Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar al-Assad.
Later, it was reported that Iran will take part in the consultations at the level of foreign ministers. A meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries is expected to be held in Moscow in early May.
Erdogan told reporters last December 15 that he had offered his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to hold a trilateral meeting with the Syrian leader. This summit, he said, should be preceded by talks at the level of special services, defense and foreign ministers.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: AP/TASS
Based on materials from TASS