Foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iran meet in Moscow for high-level talks

Europe, Middle East, News May 12, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

After reinstating its role in the Arab League, Bashar Al Assad’s Syrian administration is moving to mend relations with other regional stakeholders. The top diplomats of Turkey, Russia, Syria, and Iran met in Moscow on May 10, 2023, to discuss a road map for normalizing ties between Damascus and Ankara.

This was the first meeting between a Turkish and Syrian foreign minister since 2011 – the year the country descended into a civil war after a crackdown on protestors. Since then, the civil unrest that resulted in the death of nearly half a million people and displaced another 23 million.

In Moscow, Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad met with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a meeting arranged by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russia has been pushing Ankara and Damascus to normalize relations after years of animosity. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was also present during the meeting.

Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad was quoted as saying that “despite all the negatives of the past years, there is an opportunity” for Damascus and Ankara to work together. During the meeting, Mekdad put forward his country’s demand to end the presence of foreign militaries, including Turkey’s, from Syria. “Without progress in this matter, we will remain stagnant and will not reach any real results,” he said.

Quadrilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Syria kicks off in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/xiJKQvDqCL
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) May 10, 2023

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the meeting was held in a “positive and constructive atmosphere.” He added that his counterparts have agreed to develop a roadmap to advance Turkey-Syria ties. During his opening remarks at the meeting, Lavrov said that Moscow would help Syria and Turkey, “not only in consolidating politically the progress that has been made but also in determining general guidelines for further movement”.

According to the official statement released by the Russian foreign ministry, “the ministers noted a positive and constructive atmosphere of the exchange of views and agreed to maintain high-level contacts and four-way technical negotiations”.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that “cooperation in the fight against terrorism” must be established between Damascus and Ankara. He also pointed out that Syria should “establish the basis for the return of Syrians.” Turkey has been hosting one of the largest numbers of Syrian refugees who fled the country as a result of decade-long civil unrest.

*^{A view of the meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Syria, Turkey, and Iran in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Image Credit: Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service)}*

Moscow has been trying to bridge the relations between the two countries on the grounds that both Turkey and Syria see Washington-backed Kurdish rebel groups as a common enemy in the region.

In December 2022, Moscow hosted a trilateral meeting between the defense chiefs of Russia, Syria, and Turkey to discuss the issues related to the Syrian war. Turkey’s backing has played a vital role in sustaining Syrian rebels in their last major territorial foothold in the northwest after President al-Assad’s forces defeated the fighters across the rest of the country.

In previous meetings, Russia has promised to establish a buffer zone between the Turkish border and Syria’s People’s Defense Unit or YPG forces. The buffer zone would be controlled by the Syrian army and Russian military police. As a result of the recent four-way meeting, deputy foreign ministers from all sides have been tasked to establish contacts in order to finalize the details of the buffer zone.