Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Business

Ministers may meet in Moscow to advance Turkey-Syria ties

FILE PHOTO: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Egypt March 18, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria may hold consultations in early May as part of Russia's attempt to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments, Turkey' foreign minister said on Monday.

NATO alliance member Turkey has been a major backer of the political and armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a 12-year civil war, and has sent its own troops into swathes of the country's north.

"The meeting will most probably take place in early May, in Moscow," Minister Mevlut Cavusoğlu told broadcaster A Haber, saying it could lead to a leaders' meeting.

Syrian and Turkish defence ministers held talks in Moscow in December in the highest-level encounter since the war began.

Moscow is Assad's main ally and Russia has encouraged a reconciliation with Ankara. But Damascus demands full withdrawal of Turkish troops for relations to be restored.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Ece Toksabay and Andrew Cawthorne)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.