Russia continues to make efforts to restore ties between Ankara and Damascus, former allies who were torn apart by the war in Syria.

On April 25, the Russian capital, Moscow, held a meeting between the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Turkey and Syria. The meeting was also attended by the Russian defense minister and his counterpart from Iran, which joined the normalization process earlier this year.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that minister Sergey Shoigu held talks with his visiting counterparts from Iran, Syria and Turkey, Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Hulusi Akar, to discuss practical steps in the areas of strengthening security in Syria and normalizing Syrian-Turkish relations.

Special attention was focused on efforts to “counter terrorist threats and combat extremist groups in Syria.”.

From its side, the Syrian ministry of defense said that the situation in Syria’s northern regions was among the topics discussed by Russian, Iranian, Syrian, and Turkish defense ministers during the meeting.

“Participants in the talks discussed the issue of withdrawing Turkish troops from Syrian territory,” it said. “They also discussed implementing the special agreement related to movements along the M4 international highway.”

This was the second meeting between the defense ministers of Ankara and Damascus in Moscow in less than five months. The first meeting, which was on December 28, was a major breakthrough in the normalization process.

Turkey, which was among the first countries to support rebels in Syria after the outbreak of the war there in 2011, controls today vast parts of the country’s northern region. During a visit to Russia in March, President Bashar al-Assad demanded an end to Ankara’s “illegal occupation” of Syrian territory.

From its side, Ankara wants Damascus help in combating Kurdish forces in northern Syria as well as a deal to solve its refugee crisis.

On April 4, the Russian capital also hosted talks between the deputy foreign ministers of Turkey and Syria, in addition to Iran. Damascus renewed calls for a Turkish withdrawal during the meeting.

No clear progress was made during the previous meetings in Moscow. The next meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Syria will reportedly take place before the Turkish general elections in May. The results of the elections will have a direct impact on the normalization process. The success of the upcoming meeting could pave the way for a summit between Assad and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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