Four-Party Meeting in Moscow Discusses Turkish Troop Withdrawal from Syria

A four-party meeting in Moscow on Tuesday was held to discuss the issue, as reported by Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing the country’s defense ministry.

At the talks, the participants explored the matter of Turkey withdrawing its troops from Syrian soil. Additionally, they deliberated on how to execute the agreement regarding traffic on the M4 international highway.

The M4 international highway is a major crossing for the international shipping route connecting Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, traversing five provinces in northern Syria.

Syrian officials have repeatedly asserted that any movement towards restoring ties between Syria and Turkey can only take place once Ankara has agreed to withdraw the thousands of troops they have deployed in the northwest of Syria.

Faisal Mekdad, the Syrian Foreign Minister, urged Turkey to cease its military involvement in Syria, following this statement.

He stressed that it is impossible to discuss normalizing relations with Turkey while it is occupying northern parts of Syria.

At an earlier meeting, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that practical measures were discussed to enhance security in Syria and improve Syrian-Turkish relations.

Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defense Minister, highlighted the importance of working to counter terrorist threats and combat extremist groups in Syria.

The Ministry of Defense of Turkey declared that the two parties had discussed “concrete measures” that can be used to restore Turkish-Syrian relations to normal.

At the quadrilateral meeting, it was discussed that the fight against terrorist organizations and all extremist groups should be intensified. Furthermore, the four countries had the issue of returning Syrian refugees to their countries as part of their agenda.

In March 2012, Turkey cut its ties with Syria, one year after the country was swept up in the violence of foreign-backed militants, some of which were said to be backed by Ankara. The conflict caused numerous deaths.

The two neighboring nations are in the process of reconciliation after eleven years of separation.

On December 28, 2022, the highest-level meeting between Ankara and Damascus since the beginning of the conflict in Syria began in Moscow, with the Russian, Syrian, and Turkish defense ministers in attendance. This marked the start of the normalization of ties between the two sides.

In January, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad connected a reconciliation between Russia and Turkey to the termination of Ankara’s occupation of northern Syria and its backing of insurgent groups battling against the government of Damascus.