Türkiye, Syria top diplomats meet officially for first time in Moscow since 2011

MOSCOW

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 in 2011.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, were accompanied by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a four-way encounter in Moscow where they discussed the normalization of bilateral ties, fight against terrorism and return of the refugees.

“We emphasized the need for cooperation in the fight against terrorism, working together to establish the basis for the return of Syrians, taking political process in Syria forward and protection of Syria’s territorial integrity,” Çavuşoğlu tweeted after the meeting.

Within the framework of the quadripartite format of the Russian Federation-Iran-Türkiye-Syria, Moscow proposed to prepare a roadmap for the normalization of relations between Damascus and Ankara for the next meeting of foreign ministers, which will then be presented to the presidents, Lavrov said.

“The best result of our today’s communication could be an agreement to instruct experts to prepare a draft roadmap for Syrian-Turkish normalization for the next ministerial meeting, which will then be reported to the heads of our states,” Lavrov said, opening the meeting.

“We see in this document a number of principles that, as we understand, all participants in the quadripartite format support. I mean, first of all, the unchanging commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and unity of all countries participating in the meeting to the goals and principles of the U.N. Charter,” Lavrov added.

The normalization process between the two neighbors started in late 2022 with the efforts of Russia.

The two countries’ defense ministers and intelligence chiefs had two rounds of meetings in Moscow since then and discussed security matters and the return of the Syrian refugees to Syria.

Çavuşoğlu, in an interview with CNN Türk on May 9, said one of the top issues he will discuss will be the return of the Syrian refugees. “For the return of the refugees, necessary conditions should be provided. Stability in Syria must be strengthened, and the political process [between the regime and the opposition] should be revived,” he stated.

Cooperation with Damascus, as well as with the U.N. and relevant humanitarian agencies, is needed for making a safe and voluntary return of the refugees possible, Çavuşoğlu said, adding the European Union should also be on board.

In a separate statement, Çavuşoğlu said a meeting between the leaders of Türkiye and Syria could take place in 2023.