A meeting between the Turkish, Syrian and Russian presidents has been scheduled, but not for January, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

"As for the summit of the leaders of the three countries, again there is no date, but January is too early for that, so we cannot say that the summit will take place in January," the minister said, as quoted by TRT broadcaster.

Even though Turkey believes that Syria was uncooperative in terms of the fight against terrorism due to political differences, there is room for future joint work, Cavusoglu said, adding that the present negotiations did not prevent Ankara from continuing operations against terrorists in Syria.

On December 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he had offered to Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting between the three leaders, which will be preceded by a meeting of the heads of the intelligence services, defense, and foreign ministries.

The Russian, Syrian, and Turkish defense ministers held talks on Wednesday in the Russian capital, Moscow, to discuss means of resolving the Syrian crisis, the former's defense ministry said.

"On December 28, trilateral talks between the defense ministers of Russia, Syria, and Turkey took place in Moscow. The meeting discussed ways to address the Syrian crisis, the issue of refugees, and joint efforts to combat extremist groups in Syria," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the defense ministers highlighted how the dialogue was constructive, stressing the need for all three parties to hold further talks to bring more stability to Syria and the whole region, the statement added.

Related News

UN, regional governments condemn Damascus church bombing

Hezbollah condemns Damascus church terrorist bombing

Commenting on the meeting, Cavusoglu said that dialogue is important to reach an agreement on a road map for the Syrian settlement, adding that the relevant communication would continue.

"The meeting turned out to be useful. We believe that interaction with the Syrian authorities is important to reach an agreement that will ensure stability and a lasting peace, and these contacts are also important to reach a consensus between the regime and the opposition on the road map [for conflict settlement]," he added.

In the same context, Defense Minister Akar and the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Hakan Fidan, met Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Syrian intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk in Moscow along with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

It is worth noting that on Christmas, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said his country was in talks with Russia to use Syria's airspace to conduct a cross-border operation against the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia in northeastern Syria.

The United States has been arming Kurdish groups in northeastern Syria, making grounds for oil and gas theft.

Turkey has conducted a number of operations in northern Syria against the US-backed SDF and the YPG, threatening further incursions over a period of months. 

Earlier this month, Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a phone call, during which they discussed several issues, such as bilateral ties and the Kurdish forces in Northern Syria.

Last month, Turkey ramped up its military preparations after an explosion in Istanbul, which Kurdish militants were held accountable for, though denied involvement. Ankara then launched strikes against what it claimed to be YPG targets, and the president gave the possibility of a coming-ground offensive. 

The Turkish President also said his country is committed to destroying the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) "until its last militant is neutralized" and raised the possibility of conducting a ground operation soon.