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Russia will encourage cooperation between Turkey and Syria, says Lavrov

On October 9, Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish units

SOCHI, October 16. /TASS/. Russia will continue taking steps to promote dialogue between the Turkish and Syrian leadership on normalizing the border situation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told an international gathering of intelligence and security chiefs, along with top law enforcement brass in Sochi.

"Russia will continue acting in full compliance with international law and the UN Security Council’s resolution, encouraging achievement and execution of agreements between Damascus and the Kurds, and also contributing to forging cooperation between the Syrian and Turkish authorities on ensuring security on their joint border, as this is regulated by the 1998 Adana pact," Lavrov stressed.

On October 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched an offensive in northern Syria, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish units. Turkey's objective is to establish a safety zone in northern Syria for the protection of the Turkish border. Ankara hopes Syrian refugees could return there from Turkey. The Assad government’s state news agency SANA slammed Erdogan's operation as an act of aggression. In addition, the world community condemned Ankara’s actions. On Sunday evening, SANA reported that Damascus had sent troops to northern Syria in order to counter Turkish forces.