First official high-level meeting between Syria, Russia, and Turkey held in Moscow

MOSCOW – A tripartite meeting between Syria, Russia, and Turkey was held in Moscow yesterday. It was attended by a number of Russian officials, state-owned SANA News Agency reported.

Major General Ali Mamlouk, special security adviser to the president and Head of the National Security Bureau, represented the Syrian side, and Hakan Fidan, Head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, represented the Turkish side. During the meeting, Mamlouk demanded that Turkey fully commit to the sovereignty, independence, and integrity of Syrian lands and people, in addition to an immediate and complete withdrawal from all Syrian lands.

Mamlouk also called for Turkey to fulfill its obligations according to the Sochi Agreement on Idlib, signed on 17 September 2018, especially concerning the evacuation of terrorists and heavy weapons from the northwestern region, in addition to the opening of Aleppo-Lattakia and Aleppo-Hama routes.

Moreover, Mamlouk confirmed that Syria is determined to continue its war against terrorism, pursue the departure of foreign forces, and to provide security and safety for Syrian citizens who are he claims are being used by terrorist organizations as human shields in Idlib.

According to Daily Sabah, a Turkish pro-government news outlet, Fidan and Mamlouk discussed “a number of issues” including Idlib and possible cooperation against the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The meeting marks the first official acknowledgement of a high-level meeting between Turkey and the Syrian government since the former broke off diplomatic contact in 2012.