The proposal was presented during a meeting in Moscow between the Turkish foreign minister and his Syrian counterpart, in the first meeting of its kind since 2011, in the presence of the Russian and Iranian foreign ministers.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the start of the meeting: “The best outcome of our meeting today could be to reach an agreement to appoint experts to work out (…) a draft roadmap for Turkish-Syrian normalization, which will then be presented to our Heads of State.
According to Lavrov, this map will allow Damascus and Ankara to “clearly define their positions on the issues that are priorities for them” with the aim of “recovering control of the Syrian government over the entire territory of the country and firmly guaranteeing the security of the border”. with Turkey”, 900 kilometers long.
“It is also important to mention the restoration of the logistical ties that were severed between the two neighboring countries and the resumption of economic cooperation without any obstacles,” the Russian minister added.
“We are all interested in restoring relations between Syria and Turkey on the basis of equality and mutual respect,” Lavrov said.
The announcement is a diplomatic boost for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a general election on Sunday, which represents his toughest challenge since he came to power 21 years ago.
At the start of the conflict, Erdogan backed opposition efforts to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and maintained a military presence in the country’s northern regions, but he backtracked after Turkey plunged in an economic crisis two years ago. .
He has moved closer to former enemies in the region and is now seeking a summit with Assad, where Syria has refused and said Turkey should withdraw its troops first.
In turn, Erdogan’s opponents support reconciliation with Syria, which is one of the most important topics in Turkey’s election campaign.
Erdogan also pledged to speed up the return of around 4 million Syrian refugees and migrants who fled to Turkey to escape poverty and war in their country. Reaching an agreement with Damascus is a condition of this process.
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