MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Turkey and Syria are signaling serious interest in resuming dialogue, and Russia will actively contribute to the resumption of these talks, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.
The top Russian diplomat pointed out that previously revealed divergences between the positions of Damascus and Ankara led to a pause in the negotiation process.
"The Syrian government insists that it is first necessary to address the withdrawal of the Turkish military contingent from Syrian territory. Turkey reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, but proposes to revisit the issue of military withdrawal at a later date. Given the signals from both capitals indicating serious interest in resuming dialogue, we will actively support the negotiation process as soon as possible," he stated.
Lavrov also emphasized that normalizing Syria-Turkey relations is crucial for stabilizing Syria and strengthening security in the Middle East. The foreign minister added that Russia is making consistent efforts to overcome the contradictions between Damascus and Ankara. Among the issues of special interest, Lavrov highlighted the return of Syrian refugees, the fight against terrorism, and border security.
Syria has been in armed conflict since 2011. The Astana talks, also known as the Astana format, have been ongoing since 2017, with 21 meetings held to date. The Astana format includes Russia, Iran, and Turkey as guarantor countries in the process of resolving the Syrian crisis, alongside representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, the UN, and observer countries: Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.
In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he expects "constructive steps" toward normalizing relations with Syria in the near future. Erdogan mentioned in Kazan that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help persuade Syrian President Bashar Assad to respond to Ankara's call for normalization of relations.