On Tuesday, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Ankara does not intend to take any actions that could affect the opposition, particularly the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), in the process of normalizing relations with Damascus. This was his response to the question of how the talks between the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers in Moscow would affect relations with the FSA. TRT TV channel quoted Akar as saying.
"We have not so far committed and will not commit any actions against our [Syrian] brothers in Turkey and Syria in the future. So, they [the Syrian opposition] should proceed from this and not give in to provocations," Akar noted.
The FSA was created in Turkey in July 2011 after the Syrian army officers defected to the opposition. The armed opposition forces oppose the current Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and mainly consist of fragmented structures.
Asked about plans for a new meeting between Turkish and Syrian military heads mediated by Russia, Akar said he expects the dialogue to continue. "This is a process that was initiated after an 11-year hiatus on the basis of goodwill in order to normalize bilateral relations and ensure peace in the region. The meeting in Moscow is important for the beginning of the dialogue. We hope that as a result of the talks, there will be peace, tranquility and stability in the region and the Syrian brothers [refugees] who are with us as guests will be able to return voluntarily and safely to their native lands, as stipulated in UN resolutions," the Turkish defense minister said.
Relations between Ankara and Damascus deteriorated after the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, when a wave of Syrian refugees poured into Turkey. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were then terminated.
On December 28, 2022, consultations of the defense ministers of Syria, Turkey and Russia were held in Moscow. Following them, presumably in the second half of January, a meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries may be held, the agenda of which will include the issue of negotiations between Turkish and Syrian Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar al-Assad.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS