SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Turkey, Syria, Russia defence ministers meet for first talks since 2011
Moscow, Dec 28 (AFP) Dec 28, 2022
The defence ministers of Russia, Turkey and Syria met in Moscow on Wednesday, the first such talks since a war broke out in Syria, the Russian defence ministry said.

It was also the first meeting between Turkish and Syrian defence ministers since the start of the war in 2011.

Russia and Turkey are involved in Syria, with Moscow supporting the Damascus regime against its opponents, and Ankara backing rebels.

The meeting came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a military offensive in northern Syria against Kurdish groups.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, Hulusi Akar and Ali Mahmoud Abbas, discussed "ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, the problem of refugees, and joint efforts to combat extremist groups in Syria", said the Russian defence ministry.

The sides "noted the constructive nature of the dialogue held in this format and the need to continue it in the interests of further stabilizing the situation" in Syria and the region, the defence ministry in Moscow said.

The Turkish defence ministry struck a similar note, saying the meeting was held in a "constructive atmosphere".

"At the meeting, the Syrian crisis, the refugee problem and joint efforts to combat all terrorist organisations in Syria were discussed," the ministry said in a statement.

On Saturday, Akar told reporters that Turkey was in talks with Russia about using Syrian airspace in a possible operation against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.

"We are holding discussions with the Russians about the opening of the airspace" in Syria, he said.

The Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers had a brief informal exchange on the sidelines of a regional summit in 2021 and Ankara had acknowledged contacts between intelligence services of the two countries.

In November, Erdogan said a meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was a possibility, after cutting diplomatic ties with Damascus throughout the 11-year conflict.

In mid-December, he indicated that he could meet with Assad after the two countries' defence and foreign ministers meet.

"We want to take a step as Syria, Turkey and Russia," he said at the time.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Mexico president threatens to sue over SpaceX rocket debris
US Radar Test Marks Milestone in Missile Threat Detection Capabilities
India, Poland, Hungary make spaceflight comeback with ISS mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Rice researchers search for ultralight dark matter using a magnetically levitated particle
Physicists confirm elusive quantum spin liquid in new study
Stocks mixed with eyes on Mideast, dollar hit by Trump Fed comment

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Britain to purchase 12 nuclear weapons-capable F-35 jets from U.S.
Russian strikes kill 19 in Ukraine region under pressure
Iran willing to return to talks as ceasefire with Israel takes hold

24/7 News Coverage
Meteorite amino acid triggers nanocavity formation in common clay
UC Davis and Proteus Space to launch first-ever dynamic digital twin into space
Why the sun is so good at evaporating water



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.