Defense minister assures Syrian opposition of talks with regime

ANKARA

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar assured the Syrian opposition that the newly launched dialogue between Ankara and Damascus would not be against the interests of the Syrian opposition and the Syrian refugees in Türkiye.

“There is no question of us doing anything against our Syrian brothers and sisters living in Türkiye and Syria. We have never and never will consider behavior that would put them in trouble. Everyone should know this and act accordingly,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Dec. 29 .

Akar celebrated the new year of the personnel with the Chief of General Staff, General Yaşar Güler, accompanying him.

Elaborating on the recent dialogue between Ankara and Damascus, he said that they exchanged information and views on the refugee problem and the fight against all terrorist organizations in Syria.

“We have done our part to ensure and maintain peace, tranquility and stability in our region. We will continue to do so from now on,” the minister added.

The defense ministers and the intelligence chiefs of Russia, Türkiye and Syria held a meeting in Moscow on Dec. 28, the first such talks between Ankara and Damascus since the war broke out in Syria.

Ankara and Damascus have been working on a roadmap for restoring bilateral ties after a years-long chill, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Dec. 29, noting that the next step would be meeting between the foreign ministers of the two neighbors.

A trilateral leaders’ meeting is also on the agenda after the foreign ministers planned talks, but the timetable is not certain yet, Çavuşoğlu added.

“We think this engagement is important in terms of reconciliation between the Syrian regime and the opposition on a roadmap for a political solution,” he said noting that Damascus also wants Syrians to return to their country.