愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Moscow hosts talks aimed at Syria-Turkiye rapprochement

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with the State Council Presidium on developing Russian industry under sanctions pressure during his working trip to Tula, Russia, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with the State Council Presidium on developing Russian industry under sanctions pressure during his working trip to Tula, Russia, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Share
MOSCOW -

Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkiye, Syria and Iran wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow Tuesday, part of the Kremlin's efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.

Russian and Turkish foreign ministries issued terse readouts, saying the diplomats have discussed preparations for a planned meeting of the four countries foreign ministers. Moscow described the consultations as "frank and direct," and Ankara said they were held in a "transparent and clear manner," while offering no details.

The four-way talks in Moscow were held as U.N.-mediated negotiations aimed at reaching a political solution to the conflict in Syria have stalled.

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad's government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. While the bulk of the Russian military has been busy fighting in Ukraine, Moscow has maintained its military foothold in Syria and kept warplanes and troops at its bases there.

The Kremlin has also made persistent efforts to help Syria rebuild fractured ties with other countries in the region, including neighbouring Turkiye, which has backed armed opposition to Assad throughout the 12-year conflict. In December, Moscow hosted a surprise meeting of the Turkish and Syrian defence ministers, the first such encounter since Syria's uprising-turned-civil-war began in 2011.

Ayman Sousan, Syria's deputy foreign minister who attended the talks in Moscow, thanked Russia and Iran for their help in "confronting terrorism" in remarks carried by the state news agency SANA. Sousan blasted other countries that "took advantage of the situation created by this war to illegally send their forces to Syria" and supported "terrorist groups."

Turkiye has backed armed opposition groups in Syria that have sought to overthrow Assad's government during the civil war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of the country's prewar population. Turkiye de facto controls large swathes of northwestern Syria, and Sousan emphasized that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory is a prerequisite for a normalization of ties.

But even as Turkiye has supported Syrian opposition fighters in the north, Ankara and Damascus are equally dismayed over the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria's northeast. Turkiye-backed opposition fighters have clashed with the SDF in the past, accusing them of being an arm of Turkiye's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The PKK has for decades waged an insurgency within Turkiye against the government in Ankara.

Assad's government has cast the SDF as a secessionist force that has been pilfering the country's wealth while controlling Syria's major oil fields.

The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May, is under intense pressure at home to send Syrian refugees back amid a steep economic downturn and an increasing anti-refugee sentiment.

The reconciliation efforts between Syria and Turkiye topped the agenda for Russian President Vladimir Putin's talks with Assad when he visited Moscow last month.

After the catastrophic earthquake that struck Syria and Turkiye in February, international sympathy appeared to have sped up the regional rapprochement. Some have called for dialogue with Syria and for bringing the country back to the 22-member Arab League more than a decade after its membership was suspended over the crackdown in the early months of the uprising that turned into war and has killed nearly half a million people.

------

Abby Sewell in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkiye contributed to this report.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.

Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

The body of a British Columbia mountain climber has been located and recovered after the 39-year-old man was reported missing during a solo climb on Washington state's Mount Baker earlier this week.

A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

A Saskatchewan man living in the United States has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he unknowingly provided disturbing videos to an FBI agent he thought was a pedophile.

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.