Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that all the necessary agreements were reached during the trilateral meeting in Moscow, which brought him together with the regime’s Defense Minister, Ali Mahmoud Abbas.
Akar’s remarks came during a briefing to reporters ahead of a meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara on Wednesday. During the briefing, he stressed that there would be a continuation of this trilateral meeting held in Moscow with the participation of the Russian defence minister and the regime’s defence minister.
Joint Position & Patrols
According to the Turkish Defense Minister, all the necessary agreements were reached during the “Moscow meeting. He said the agreement is about establishing a joint center and developing the conduct of joint patrols in northern Syria, in addition to the continuation of the meeting of experts again.
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“The meeting will continue. We can develop joint patrols with Russia in northern Syria, and this process will continue in the form of a meeting of experts again.”
The Turkish minister did not reveal whether the patrols would proceed with the participation of the Syrian regime, while reports said that they could be tripartite between Russia, Turkey, and the regime.
Turkey resumed its joint patrols with Russia along Syria’s northern border two weeks ago, after a break of nearly four weeks, imposed by the repercussions of the air campaign launched by Ankara under the name “Claw Sword.”
On the other hand, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar pointed out that the “Moscow meeting” touched on the issue of “fighting terrorism” on the Syrian-Turkish border. He said: “The main goal of the meeting is to defend Turkey and the Turkish nation. We have expressed our determination in this case to our interlocutors.”
The meeting also discussed the issue of Syrian refugees in Turkey, according to Akar, who pointed out that his country’s situation does not allow for receiving a single refugee.
At the same time, he added: “We have Syrian brothers and sisters with us in Turkey, and it is out of the question for us to do anything or take a decision against them in any way or put them in a dilemma. This position should be known to everyone.”
The Russian side hosted the first meeting of its kind in 11 years between Turkey and the Assad regime at the level of defence ministers and intelligence chiefs in Moscow last Wednesday.
The meeting is seen as the second of a series of stations for a roadmap announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent weeks to open dialogue with the Syrian regime with Russian mediation.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
