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Pushing Towards Reconciliation... Moscow Seeks to Resume Turkish-Syrian Negotiations
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Moscow appears to be seeking a diplomatic breakthrough in Turkish-Syrian relations, taking advantage of both parties' need for rapprochement despite their deep differences
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that there is a serious desire from both Turkey and Syria to resume dialogue, explaining that Moscow will actively contribute to relaunching negotiations between the two countries.
In an interview with Turkish newspaper "Hurriyet," Lavrov stated: "The Syrian government insists on the necessity of making a decision regarding the withdrawal of Turkish military units from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic."
He added: "In Turkey, in principle, they confirm their commitment to Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but they suggest discussing the issue of withdrawing their forces at a later time. Given indicators of serious interest in resuming dialogue from both capitals, we will actively work to restart the negotiation process as soon as possible."
The Russian minister declared that normalizing relations between Ankara and the Syrian regime is of paramount importance for achieving stability in Syria and strengthening security in the Middle East, indicating that Moscow is making intensive efforts to overcome differences between the two sides.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed last October his aspiration for "constructive steps" to normalize relations with Syria, noting that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan to help ensure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's response to Ankara's call for normalizing relations.
The armed conflict in Syria has continued since 2011, while Syrian settlement talks in the Astana format were launched at the initiative of Russia, Turkey, and Iran in 2017, with 21 meetings held to date.
The Astana format brings together Russia, Iran, and Turkey as guarantor countries for the Syrian settlement process, alongside representatives from the Syrian regime, opposition, United Nations, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq as observers.
In June 2023, during the twentieth meeting, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry proposed ending the Syria talks in Astana, linking its decision to the process's success in achieving its goals after Ankara announced its desire to restore relations with Damascus and Syria's return to the Arab League. However, Kazakh authorities later decided to organize the twenty-first meeting in response to a collective request from the guarantor countries.
Levant-Agencies
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