Turkish Diplomat to Meet Representatives of Syrian Regime

Burak Akçapar, the Deputy Foreign Minister, will attend the quadripartite meeting in Moscow, according to the al-Souria Net.

Less than a month after his appointment as Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Turkish diplomat Burak Akçapar begins his mission on the Syrian issue by meeting with representatives of the Assad regime in Moscow.   

In a press conference with the Iranian foreign minister on Wednesday, the Turkish foreign minister said that technical preparations are underway for a quadripartite meeting in Moscow, which includes the foreign ministers of Turkey, the Assad regime, Russia and Iran, to complement the talks that began about two months ago at the level of defence ministers. 

Abdollahian in Damascus on Thursday, Quadripartite Meeting in Moscow Next Week

He added that he would send his deputy to Moscow next week to attend the technical meeting with Russian officials before the quadripartite talks without specifying an exact date for the meeting of foreign ministers. 

For his part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov confirmed the agreement with Turkey to hold the meeting.  

Bogdanov told Russia’s TASS news agency: “We have already agreed with our Turkish colleagues, but we are waiting for answers from the Syrians and Iranians, as far as it suits them.”   

“So far, there has been no response from Syria and Iran,” he said. 

BBC Turkce reported on Thursday that the newly appointed deputy foreign minister, Burak Akçapar, is expected to represent Turkey at the meeting. 

Akçapar was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister on February 18th, by decree of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, succeeding former MP Sedat Onal, a specialist in the Syrian issue until he was described as the “godfather” and negotiator who attended all meetings and talks on Syria, before being transferred to the United Nations as a representative of his country.   

The meeting to be held in Moscow is Akçapar’s first step in the Syrian issue, with a meeting with representatives of the Assad regime, which is expected to be attended by Ayman Sousan, the regime’s deputy foreign minister. 

The meeting is seen as a further step towards normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara. 

Who is Burak Akçapar? 

Born in Istanbul in 1967, he received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bogazici University (Bosphorus) and a doctorate in international law from the University of Hamburg. 

He began his diplomatic duties at the Turkish Foreign Ministry in 1988 and held several positions before being appointed Deputy Chief of Mission at the Turkish Embassy in Washington in 2004. 

He was also appointed Turkish Deputy Consul in Hamburg, Germany, and served as an International Officer in the Defense Planning and Operations Division of the NATO General Secretariat. 

In 2011, he was appointed Ambassador of Turkey to India until 2017, before returning to the Turkish Foreign Ministry and heading the position of Director General of Foreign Policy, Analysis and Coordination. 

 

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.

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