Russia ups mediation efforts between Turkey, Syria as Assad drags feet
While Turkey is embracing Russia's role in attempting to mediate between Ankara and Damascus, the Syrian government wants a timetable for Turkey withdrawing its troops from the country.
Turkey on Tuesday welcomed Russia's ongoing efforts to mediate between Ankara and Damascus to end more than a decade of hostility between the two neighbors.
“We welcome Russia’s efforts to establish engagement between our country and the Damascus administration,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said in response to reporters’ questions about comments made Saturday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Russian state broadcaster RT.
Lavrov addressed one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s key demands for reconciliation with Turkey, namely that the latter pull out thousands of Turkish troops that currently occupy large swaths of territory in northern Syria that are twice the size of Lebanon. Lavrov sounded an optimistic note. “The Turks are ready for this, but specific parameters haven’t been agreed yet. We are talking about the return of refugees, about the measures necessary to suppress the terrorist threat, which will make the presence of the Turkish contingents unnecessary. All this is in the works,” Lavrov noted without going into detail.
However, the Syrian government was seeking a “clear decision” by Turkey regarding the eventual withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria, Lavrov added in a likely reference to Syria’s demands for a timetable.
