Syrian Defense Minister: Negotiations with Türkiye have become complicated after recent Turkish statements
The ongoing negotiations with Türkiye haven’t made any progress, due to the issue of the Turkish withdrawal from the Syrian territories, according to the Syrian Minister of Defense, General Ali Mahmoud Abbas.
During an interview with RT, on the sidelines of the 11th Moscow International Security Forum, Tuesday, the Syrian Minister of Defense talked about the progress of negotiations between Damascus and Ankara, within the process of building dialogue that began last year, indicating that it didn’t achieve any significant results.
He said, “Several rounds of negotiations took place, but we didn’t reach progress due to the Turkish refusal to withdraw from the Syrian territories”.
The Syrian Minister of Defense, General Ali Mahmoud Abbas noted that the Turkish Defense Minister’s recent statement refusing to withdraw exacerbated the complexity of the issue,
The Turkish Minister of Defense, Yaşar Güler, said that Türkiye wants peace in Syria, but it has sensitivities related to the security of its borders.
Last Saturday, the Turkish Minister of Defense in an interview with Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper, said, “It’s unreasonable for us to leave without ensuring the security of our borders and our people”.
Güler referred Ankara’ lack of intention to withdraw from Syria in the near future, as long as there is no certain guarantees for security on the Syrian Turkish boarders.
The Syrian Minister of Defense responded to his Turkish counterpart statements, by saying, “If Türkiye want peace and security with Syria, Ankara must start withdrawing from the Syrian lands and acknowledge that”.
He continued, “Syria has always been under the directives of the Syrian President Bashar al Assad and the leadership and people of a peaceful country, but unfortunately Türkiye got involved in the war and supported terrorism”.
He added, “We hope that Türkiye return to its senses and stop this support, and withdraw from northern Syria so that we can advance towards peace”.
Meanwhile, it’s not yet clear how the process of building dialogue between Türkiye and Syria will continue, especially in light of the contradictory positions between the two countries.
