MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. So far, there are no conditions for a meeting between Syria and Turkish Presidents, Bashar Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but contacts are maintained between the two countries’ defense ministries, Russian presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told TASS.
"In general, I think that it is too early to talk about a meeting between these two countries’ presidents. Certain communication is maintained between the defense ministers, in the four-lateral format. But it is premature to expect communication at a higher level, like it was virtually 18 months ago, when meetings between foreign and defense of the four countries were organized," he said.
According to the Russian diplomat, Russia is making efforts to raise communication to a higher level. "We believe that the normalization of Syrian-Turkish relations is a guarantee that the situation in Syria will stabilize," he stressed.
He cited various factors that influence this process. "First of all, this is Turkey’s support for the Syrian opposition it cannot leave without its attention. And, naturally, the key issue - the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the occupied Syrian territories," Lavrentyev noted. "Let us call things by their proper names - they are acting as an occupying country. That is why it is very difficult for Damascus to engage in dialogue without certain guarantees from Turkey concerning the withdrawal of its troops.".