Türkiye, Russia, Iran, Syria to form committee: Turkish FM

ANKARA

Foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria has agreed to form a committee, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, stressing that a road map will be created together to normalize relations between Türkiye and Syria.

“We do not have designs on Syria’s soil. We exist there to fight terrorism. We discussed the safe return of refugees in our country. A roadmap will be created,” he said in a televised interview on May 11.

The minister said he had a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, first and then moved on to the four-party meeting.

“The Syrian foreign minister was waiting for us downstairs, and we greeted each other. There was some shyness, but we greeted and shook hands,” Çavuşoğlu said, adding that each party expressed their opinions openly.

Syria’s border and territorial integrity were among the featured topics, Çavuşoğlu said, stressing that Türkiye launched cross border operations into Syria “to fight terrorism” and to “avoid the formation of a terror corridor.”

“We cleared DAESH and PKK from there. Especially the PKK’s plan to divide Syria is obvious; some countries support it,” he stated.

“As a result, the emphasis on Syria’s territorial and border integrity came to the fore. Of course, there was a political process, and its revitalization was emphasized. The establishment of permanent stability by mobilizing the political process was discussed,” Çavuşoğlu noted.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye and Syria held their first official meeting as part of a quadripartite format on May 10 in Moscow since the start of Syrian civil war in 2011. Çavuşoğlu and his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, were accompanied by Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a four-way meeting in Moscow.

Participants exchanged views on efforts to normalize relations between Türkiye and Syria and discussed counterterrorism, the political processes and humanitarian matters, including the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrians to their homeland, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

“Participants also reaffirmed their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, in accordance with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254 and the official declarations issued under the ‘Astana Format,’” read the statement.

“The participants also decided to instruct the deputyforeign ministers to prepare a roadmap in coordination with the defense ministries and intelligence units of the four countries for the advancement of relations between Türkiye and Syria,” the statement added.

“The participants also decided to instruct deputy foreign ministers to prepare a roadmap in coordination with the defense ministries and intelligence units of the four countries for the advancement of relations between Türkiye and Syria,” the statement added.