Turkish, Syrian defense chiefs hold landmark meeting in Russia
The defense ministers' meeting in Moscow was the first official engagement between Damascus and Ankara in more than a decade.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas gathered in a meeting hosted by Russian defense chief Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, in a landmark move marking the first official engagement between Damascus and Ankara after more than a decade.
Describing the unannounced meeting as “constructive,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said the officials discussed “the Syrian crisis, refugee problem and joint efforts to combat all terrorist organizations in Syria” during the talks. The three countries “agreed to continue” trilateral meetings to “ensure and maintain stability in Syria and in the region,” the ministry added.
The Turkish Intelligence Chief Hakan Fidan and his Syrian, Russian counterparts also attended the meeting, according to the statement. An image released by the ministry showed Akar, Fidan and Turkey’s Ambassador to Moscow Mehmet Samsar walking shoulder to shoulder on the tarmac heading to the meeting.
Wednesday’s summit, which marks the first concrete sign of thaw in relations between two arch rivals Ankara and Damascus, came after a series of positive messages from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Damascus. Earlier this month he expressed an openness to meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying there was "no place for resentment in politics.”
