Ankara proposes meeting between Turkish, Syrian foreign ministers
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Under Russian mediation, Turkey proposes more steps for dialogue with Damascus.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed on Saturday, after a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, that Ankara proposed holding a meeting between the foreign ministers of Syria and Turkey in a third country during the second half of next January.
The possible meeting would be the second at the ministerial level, after the "constructive" meeting that brought together the defense ministers of the two countries in Moscow last Wednesday in the first official meeting between Ankara and Damascus in 11 years.
Commenting on Damascus' demand for the withdrawal of the Turkish army from Syria territory, Cavusoglu pointed out that steps must be taken regarding the political process, adding that terrorist organizations must not be allowed to fill the void.
Turkey agrees to pull out its troops from Syria: Reports
Earlier, the Syrian Al-Watan newspaper reported that the meeting between the defense ministers of Russia, Turkey, and Syria, which was held in Moscow, established an agreement on some critical topics, most notably the withdrawal of Turkish groups from Syria.
Turkey committed during the meeting in Moscow to totally withdraw its forces from Syria and to respect the Arab country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, a source said as quoted by the newspaper.
Informed sources confirmed to the Syrian newspaper that the atmosphere of the trilateral meeting was the result of several meetings previously held between the intelligence services in Turkey and Syria.
The sources added that the meeting would not have taken place without several points agreed upon between the two sides, in a way that meets Damascus' interest and conditions, the most important of which is the withdrawal of Turkish forces from all Syrian lands.
Meeting between Turkish, Syrian and Russian presidents scheduled
On Friday, Cavusoglu said it is possible to establish joint work in the future if common ground is formed between Syria and Turkey in terms of combating terrorism.
The Turkish Minister claimed that Turkey respects the unity and sovereignty of the Syrian territories, adding that the purpose of the presence of the Turkish forces in Syria is to combat terrorism since the Syrian authorities cannot secure stability.
On Thursday, Cavusoglu also revealed that a meeting between the Turkish, Syrian and Russian presidents has been scheduled, but not for January.
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