Contradictory Statements on the four-party Summit in Moscow

On April 25, the second round of official talks between Turkey and Syria took place in Moscow. The four countries’ defense ministers and intelligence chiefs took part in the talks, which were mediated by Russia and augmented by Iran. Turkey, which has opposed the Assad regime since the civil war broke out in Syria and now occupies large parts of northern Syria, is once again seeking proximity to its neighboring country. On May 14th presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Turkey. The issue of Syria and the Syrian refugees in the country play an important role in this. Almost all parties in Turkey promise a speedy return of Syrian refugees after the elections. It is therefore also in the interest of the Turkish government to be able to present framework conditions in this regard, which is why it is looking for quick success in the talks.

After the meeting in Moscow, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed Turkey’s interest. He said: “We also informed them that we want to ensure that our Syrian brothers and sisters, whom we have welcomed as guests in our country, return to their homeland and country voluntarily, safely, and with dignity by passing through our efforts to create the most positive and stable environment and conditions in Syria”.

Akar further stated: “We have always emphasized that we respect Syria’s sovereign rights and territorial integrity, that the only reason for our presence in Syria is to fight terrorists, that we will continue our efforts to neutralize terrorists, and that this important not only for us but also for the integrity of Syria.” Akar merely emphasized that the talks had been positive and constructive and that further talks would follow.

The Syrian Defense Ministry, on the other hand, published a different reading of the talks. The statement said, among other things, that Turkey’s withdrawal from the occupied areas of Syria was a topic of the talks. A Syrian diplomat also spoke to the pro-government Syrian daily Al-Vatan, stressing that contrary to Hulusi Akar’s claims, there had been no concrete or constructive steps towards normalizing relations. He further said that Turkey’s withdrawal from Syria was discussed and added that there will be no normalization until Turkey withdraws from Syria.

There was initially nothing to be heard from the Turkish side in this regard. Now a Turkish source told the Middle East Eye that a withdrawal of troops from Syria was never an issue and that Turkey instead insisted on a joint fight against the YPG.

While the Russian Defense Ministry painted a positive picture of the talks, a Russian diplomat told the Arabic ‘Asharq al-Awsat’ that agreement had been reached in principle on another meeting of foreign ministers on May 2nd. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu recently said: “As long as the SDF-YPG exists, you can’t expect a withdrawal from Turkey. A withdrawal from Syria means that the terrorists are at our door.” In contrast, Syrian Defense Minister Abbas emphasized: “After all foreign forces have withdrawn, our forces can fully guarantee security.”

Turkey under the leadership of the AKP wants to achieve quick results on Syria before the elections. However, the discrepancy between Syria and Turkey is currently too high. While the four countries in Moscow are also negotiating the future of Syria, the suffering and dying in Syria continues. Most recently, several children died playing in north-eastern Syria after a remnant of Turkish bombings exploded.