Syrian FM: No normal ties with Turkiye without end to occupation

LONDON: Syrian foreign minister Faisal Mekdad said on Saturday that Turkiye would have to end its military presence in his country to achieve a full rapprochement.
“We cannot talk about resuming normal ties with Turkiye without removing the occupation,” he said after meeting his Iranian counterpart in Damascus.
Turkiye has been a major backer of the political and armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad during the 12-year conflict in Syria, and has sent its own troops into swathes of the country’s north.
Russia, a key ally of Assad, is supporting a rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara, hosting talks between their defense ministers last month and aiming for meetings between the foreign ministers and eventually presidents.
Mekdad said on Saturday “a meeting between Assad and the Turkish leadership depends on removing the reasons for the dispute,” without providing more details or mentioning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by name.
Mekdad was speaking after meeting in Damascus with Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign minister of Assad’s other main ally, Iran.
Amirabdollahian, who also met Assad on Saturday, said on Friday that Iran was “happy with the dialogue taking place between Syria and Turkiye.”
Assad said on Friday the results should be based on the principle of ending the occupation and support for terrorism, a term that Syrian authorities use to refer to all opposition armed groups.
A source with close knowledge of the negotiations said Syria wanted Turkiye to pull its troops from swathes of the north and to halt support to three main opposition factions.
The source said Syria was keen to see progress on those demands through follow-up committees before agreeing to a foreign ministers’ meeting.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday he could meet Mekdad early in February, rejecting reports the two could meet next week.
Syria has made no official comment on the timing of any such meeting, which would mark the highest-level talks between Ankara and Damascus since the Syrian war began in 2011.
Meanwhile, Syria and Iran agreed Saturday to renew an economic strategic arrangement between the two countries as Damascus prepares to welcome Iran’s president in the near future.
“Tehran and Damascus will continue to cooperate in all matters, especially with energy,” Amirabdollahian said at a news conference following the meetings.
Mekdad echoed similar sentiments, adding that developments in the “coming days” will further bolster them.
“We explored ways to expand economic and commercial ties and enhance cooperation to confront the illegal Western coercive economic measures imposed on both countries,” Mekdad said.
(With Reuters and AP)

Syrian FM: No normal ties with Turkiye without end to occupation