A quadrilateral meeting in Moscow on Tuesday between Türkiye, Russia, Syria and Iran discussed “concrete steps” that can be taken to normalize Turkish-Syrian relations, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
The parties also discussed “the fight against terrorist organizations and all extremist groups on Syrian territory,” the ministry added.
Stepping up efforts to return Syrian refugees to their countries was another issue on the agenda of the four countries.
The Defense Ministry’s statements come as the defense ministers and intelligence heads of Ankara, Moscow, Tehran and Damascus met on Tuesday in the Russian capital.
Russia’s long-standing effort to open a channel of dialogue between Türkiye and the Bashar Assad regime paid off last year, as the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Türkiye, Russia and the Bashar Assad regime met in Moscow.
Any normalization between Ankara and Damascus would reshape the decadelong Syrian war. Turkish backing has been vital to sustaining moderate Syrian opposition in their last significant territorial foothold in the northwest after Assad defeated opponents across the rest of the country, aided by Russia and Iran.
However, according to statements from the Bashar Assad regime, Damascus wants to end the Turkish presence on Syrian territories.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield in 2016, Olive Branch in 2018 and Peace Spring in 2019.
The PKK terrorist group’s Syrian wing, the YPG, has controlled much of northeastern Syria after Bashar Assad’s forces withdrew in 2012.
Turkish officials have voiced that Ankara and Damascus could cooperate in returning Syrian refugees in Türkiye and counterterrorism efforts as the PKK/YPG still controls much of the war-torn country’s east. Bashar Assad can't establish territorial integrity.
Conversely, normalization has also been ongoing with the regime and the Arab world.
