Syria’s foreign minister al-Muallem: We’re not seeking military confrontation with Turkey
North-Press Agency
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said that his country doesn’t want to see fighting with Turkey.
Walid al-Muallem told reporters in Beijing, standing alongside the Chinese government’s top diplomat, “We hope that our military and the Turkish military do not fight,” pointing out that “We are fighting terrorists, especially in Idlib, which is Syrian territory,” and that the terrorist groups will be eliminated.
He also stressed, “Any illegal foreign presence in Syria has to leave immediately from our territories.”
While the Russian Minister of Defence Sergey Shoygu and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stressed commitments in a telephone call to the Astana and Sochi understandings on the de-escalation zones.
The two ministers exchanged views on measures needed to ensure peace, stability, and cease-fire in the de-escalation zones.
While the Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed last Sunday that their forces in Syria had reacted to sources of fire and targeted back the Syrian government positions northern Hama governorate.
Ankara has accused the Syrian government forces of “deliberate attacks on Turkish military observation post” and stated that the damage was limited to some equipment and facilities in the posts.
Turkey then said that there is communication with the Russian forces about “making the necessary initiatives” while maintaining control of the situation in the region.
The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last Friday, “The regime would attack Idlib using the excuse of the radical groups’ presence after sending them there.”