ISTANBUL, December 12. /TASS/. Moscow favors normalization of Turkey-Syria relations as a key factor in establishing peace and stability in the region, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Monday.

"In the context of bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria, we know that these relations are uneasy but we also see the need for these two major regional powers to reach a common denominator. We are in favor of normalizing ties, based on the fact that this would be a good factor for establishing stability and peace in the region," Vershinin told Russian reporters, following the outcome of the Russia-Turkey political consultations in Istanbul.

Turkish media outlets reported after the negotiations between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi on August 5 that Ankara was discussing the possibility of establishing direct contacts between the leaders of Turkey and Syria. In this regard, the Erdogan government said that such negotiations were not on the agenda yet.

Erdogan announced after the European political community summit in Prague on October 6 that there could be no talk about his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at present. He later said that such an encounter would take place "when the time comes."

The Turkish president said on November 27 that Ankara’s relations with Syria could normalize following the example of the relations that were built with Egypt. The leaders of both countries met in Qatar on November 19 for the first time since 2013 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony and held talks that lasted for half an hour. The Turkish foreign minister announced on November 28 that Turkey could appoint an ambassador to Egypt in the next few months.