Akar: Contacts between Turkish and Syrian military further intensify

Contacts between the military departments of Turkiye and Syria will continue and become more intense, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday in an interview with the Milliyet newspaper, commenting on the results of negotiations held on December 28 in Moscow with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas.

"At the meeting [in Moscow], we saw that the Syrian side is positive about the prospect of negotiating with Turkiye. The process will continue and intensify even further," Akar said.

According to him, the date of new negotiations was not discussed. "However, everything will happen on the basis of common sense and logic," he added.

The first meeting in 11 years between the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers was held in a trilateral format. Russia was represented by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. According to Akar, the main topic of the talks held in the Russian capital was countering terrorism.

"We noted at the meeting that almost a third of the territory of Syria is controlled by terrorist groups, we said that we are making efforts to ensure the security of our country, our people and our borders. In addition, attention was drawn to Turkiye's efforts to prevent a new wave of refugees from Syria, their safe return to their homeland, and its support for the solution of the Syrian issue on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254," Akar said.