Russia supports Turkish-Syrian rapprochement
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Mikhail Bogdanov, said on Monday that Moscow supports the idea of organizing a meeting between Syrian and Turkish Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
The Russian official’s speech to RIA Novosti Agency came after several reports that spoke of signs of Turkish-Syrian rapprochement.
We see that the meeting will be useful, we talk about holding contacts between the two parties, Bogdanov said, adding that contacts are taking place at the military and intelligence levels between the two parties.
He added that Russia supported the meeting.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has supported the Syrian opposition since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, so any normalization between the two countries would reshape the decade-long Syrian war.
The Turkish-backed opposition armed factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), have always been considered as terrorist by Damascus.
However, any rapprochement faces big problems, including the fate of SNA militants and millions of civilians who live in the SNA-held areas after fleeing the Syrian government.
Bogdanov stressed that Moscow calls for normalizing relations between Ankara and Damascus like other countries in the area.
If Turkey and Damascus decide, Russia will be ready to support them, according to Bogdanov.
He also said that Moscow is ready to contact with the US on Syria.
There are some contacts at the military level and we are ready to have such kinds of contacts, Bogdanov indicated.
On August 6, Erdogan revealed intelligence collaboration between his country and the Syrian government regarding what he called “fighting terrorism.”
By “terrorism”, Erdogan refers to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
In recent months, Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a major cross-border offensive in to invade the SDF-held cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat in northern Syria.
A report published by Reuters, on September 15, showcased Turkish-Syrian contacts on an intelligence level to mend the fences between the two countries, noting that Russia has a key role in the ongoing conversations.