Russia hosted a four-nation meeting of foreign ministers on Wednesday aimed at paving the way for restoring ties between Syria and Turkey.
(Bloomberg) — Russia hosted a four-nation meeting of foreign ministers on Wednesday aimed at paving the way for restoring ties between Syria and Turkey.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed preparing a road map for normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus at talks in Moscow with his counterparts from Syria, Turkey and Iran.
“We are all interested in the speedy restoration of neighborly relations between Syria and Turkey,” Lavrov said.
The diplomatic drive marks another step in bringing in from the cold Syria’s Kremlin-allied President Bashar al-Assad in the face of US opposition.
It comes after Arab League states moved on Sunday to reinstate Syria to the 22-nation bloc, ending Assad’s decade of regional isolation in defiance of US warnings. The move may be formalized at an Arab League heads of state summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19.
Why Efforts to End Syria War Have Gained New Impetus: QuickTake
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has forces inside Syria that authorities in Damascus want to leave the country, faces a tough battle to win May 14 elections.
He has said he’s willing to sit down with Assad to promote peace in the region.
Syria’s government, whose deadly crackdowns on protests in 2011 morphed into a war against rebels backed by outside powers, remains under US and European sanctions.
The US has about 900 troops in northeastern Syria in support of Kurdish forces, a presence that Moscow and Damascus have long sought to end.
All About the YPG, the Syrian Kurds Vexing Turkey: QuickTake
The talks in Moscow are taking place amid broader efforts by Russia and China to challenge the US role in the Middle East.
Beijing in March brokered a deal mending relations between Iran and US ally Saudi Arabia. Russia and Turkey have coordinated efforts to end the war in Syria, even as Moscow and Ankara have been on rival sides in the conflict.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
