Türkiye, Russia to hold political consultations on regional issues
ANKARA
Türkiye and Russia will hold political consultations on Dec. 8 and 9 in Istanbul, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The talks will be chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and will focus on the implementation of the grain deal brokered between Russia, Türkiye and the U.N., as well as the developments in Syria, Libya and Palestine, the statement read.
The talks come amid Ankara’s preparations for a new cross-border operation into Syria. Russia expressed its opposition to a new Turkish offensive and instead offered mediation between Ankara and Damascus.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he could meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss the ways to cooperate against the YPG’s presence on Syrian soil and the return of the Syrian migrants from Türkiye to their homeland.
