The Russian Ambassador to Syria, Alexander Yefimov, has announced that the quadripartite meeting at the foreign minister level, which was scheduled to take place between Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Russia, has been postponed until May.
According to Yefimov, the scheduled meeting for Monday has been postponed to the beginning of May. He emphasized that the parties involved are maintaining contact and engaging in consultations in order to achieve positive outcomes in this regard.
Yefimov emphasized that the process of normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey is a lengthy one and that it is not feasible to resolve and discuss all related issues in just one or a few rounds of negotiations. He stated, “The path ahead may be long, but we are making progress step by step.”
According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Al-Watan newspaper, the reason for the postponement is due to Damascus’ firm stance in upholding its commitments to end the presence of Turkish military forces on its territory, cease support for armed factions, combat terrorism, and halt interference in its internal affairs.
The sources noted that Turkey has not shown any indication in its public statements that it is prepared to commit to the principles that Damascus desires. Turkey has linked its military presence to the presence of the “Kurdish units” represented by the “Syrian Democratic Forces – SDF.”
During a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that the process of improving relations between Syria and Turkey cannot be achieved instantly. Lavrov stated that it is necessary to build trust, increase transparency, and balance the legitimate interests of all parties involved. He further added that these considerations have been taken into account from the outset of their efforts to improve relations. Lavrov also mentioned that he and his colleagues are preparing for ministerial-level meetings, which were discussed during the recent meeting of deputy ministers in Moscow.
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.
