The proposal was presented during a meeting in Moscow between the Turkish foreign minister and his Syrian counterpart, in the first meeting of its kind since 2011, in the presence of the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran.
On Wednesday, Russia proposed a roadmap for normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara, which have been severed since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011.
The proposal was presented during a meeting in Moscow between the Turkish foreign minister and his Syrian counterpart, in the first meeting of its kind since 2011, in the presence of the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran.
At the start of the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “The best outcome of our meeting today might be reaching an agreement to assign experts to develop (…) a draft roadmap for Turkish-Syrian normalization, which will then be presented to our heads of state.”
According to Lavrov, this map will allow Damascus and Ankara to “clearly define their positions on issues of priority to them” with the aim of “recovering the Syrian government’s control over the entire territory of the country and to firmly guarantee the security of the border with Turkey,” which is 900 kilometers long.
“It is also important to mention the restoration of logistical ties that were severed between the two neighboring countries and the resumption of economic cooperation without any obstacles,” the Russian minister added.
“We are all interested in restoring relations between Syria and Turkey on the basis of mutual equality and respect,” Lavrov said.
The announcement is a diplomatic push for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a few days before Sunday’s general election, which represents his toughest challenge in his 21-year rule.
At the beginning of the conflict, Erdogan supported the opposition’s efforts to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and maintained a military presence in the northern regions of the country. But he returned from this path after Türkiye plunged into an economic crisis two years ago.
He has courted former foes in the region and is now seeking a summit with Assad.
Syria refused and said that Türkiye should first withdraw its soldiers. In turn, Erdogan’s opponents support reconciliation with Syria, which is one of the most important topics of the Turkish election campaign.
Erdogan pledged to accelerate the return of about four million Syrian refugees and migrants who fled to Turkey to escape poverty and war in their country. Reaching an agreement with Damascus is a condition for that process.