The Syrian regime and Turkey presented a conflicting narrative about the results of the meeting of defense ministers that took place today, Tuesday, in the Russian capital, Moscow.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the meeting discussed concrete steps that can be taken to normalize relations between Turkey and the Syrian regime, and ways to intensify efforts to return Syrian refugees to their lands.
She added that the meeting discussed ways to combat all terrorist organizations and extremist groups on Syrian soil, stressing that the meeting took place in a “positive atmosphere” and stressed respect for the territorial integrity of Syria.
The meeting also stressed the importance of continuing the quadripartite meetings in order to provide and continue stability in Syria and the region, and the need to intensify efforts to enhance the security situation in Syria, according to the statement.
For its part, Al-Watan newspaper quoted a source in the Syrian regime as saying, “The statement broadcast by the Turkish Ministry of Defense, which talks about concrete steps related to the normalization of relations between Turkey and Syria, is not true.”
The source claimed that what happened in the meeting between the defense ministers of the regime, Turkey, Russia and Iran was to discuss the mechanism for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Syrian lands, and “the meeting did not address any normalization steps between the two sides.”
The source added, “Normalization or the normal relationship between Turkey and the Syrian regime means the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory, and without withdrawal, normal relations will not be established,” considering that withdrawal is the first issue that must be resolved in the talks on the normalization process.
