Russia Hosts Turkey-Syria Normalization Talks With Iran

A quadrilateral meeting in Moscow was held on Tuesday between Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran.

In the meeting, the countries discussed “concrete steps” that can be taken to normalize Turkish-Syrian relations, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

It added that the parties also discussed the fight against terrorist organizations and all extremist groups on Syrian territory.

Stepping up efforts to return Syrian refugees to their countries was another issue on the agenda of the four countries.

Russia’s long-standing effort to open a channel of dialogue between Turkey and Syria paid off last year, as the defence ministers and intelligence chiefs of Turkey, Russia and the Bashar Assad regime met in Moscow.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents.

The PKK terrorist group’s Syrian wing, the YPG, has controlled much of northeastern Syria after Bashar Assad’s forces withdrew in 2012.