Syrian delegation in Russia ahead of four-way summit including Iran, Turkiye

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

Syrian officials say the long-awaited meeting will focus on 'ending the Turkish military presence on Syrian soil'

An official delegation from Syria led by Assistant Foreign Minister Dr. Ayman Sousan arrived at the Russian capital Moscow on 2 April, ahead of a four-way meeting with the assistant foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkiye.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Sousan said that the delegation would hold consultations with the Russian and Iranian sides on Monday. The four-way meeting along Turkiye is expected to take place on 4 April.

The Syrian official said his participation in the summit will focus specifically on “ending the Turkish military presence on Syrian territory, combating terrorism, and non-interference in Syrian internal affairs,” according to SANA.

Upon its arrival in Moscow, the Syrian delegation was welcomed by the country’s ambassador to Russia, Bashar al-Jaafari.

The four-way meeting was initially set to take place on 16 March, one day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

But at the last minute, Syria pulled the plug, as Damascus sought guarantees from Ankara “to announce a withdrawal schedule from Syrian territory and to stop supporting terrorist groups” before taking part in the meeting, according to Syrian daily Al-Watan.

Nonetheless, last week Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said his country was coordinating a new date for the meeting.

“We are hoping that our mediating mission, which is directed at a very important strategic goal – the normalization of Syrian-Turkish relations – will result in our shared success,” Bogdanov told reporters.

Turkiye has remained a key participant in the US-backed war on Syria that began in 2011. Washington and its regional allies, including Ankara, armed and funded militias, including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front and ISIS, to topple the Syrian government.

Ankara also occupies sections of Syria’s north and has previously tried to annex large swathes of the region.

After 11 years, the two neighboring countries are taking steps toward a possible reconciliation. In December, the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Russia, Turkiye, and Syria met in Moscow in the highest-level meeting between Ankara and Damascus since 2011.

“[Any meeting with Turkiye] is linked to our reaching the point when Ankara is ready – fully and without any uncertainty – for a complete withdrawal from Syrian territory,” Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Russia’s state-run RIA-Novosti news agency at the time.