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Turkey won’t do anything that could harm Syrian people — Turkish defense minister

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Aka made this statement following talks with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas, which took place in Moscow on December 28

ANKARA, December 29. /TASS/. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Thursday said his country won’t do anything that could harm the people of Syria.

He made the statement following talks with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas, which took place in Moscow on December 28.

"We have done our best hitherto to ensure peace, tranquility and stability in our region and will continue doing so. I especially want to emphasize that it’s out of the question that we could take any steps against our [Syrian] brothers that live in Turkey and Syria. We have never taken any action that would create difficulties for them and we will not take any in the future. Everybody should be aware of this and act based on our position," the minister was quoted as saying by the TRT television channel.

The defense ministers of Turkey and Syria met for the first time in 11 years in Moscow on Wednesday. The meeting was also attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. Akar said the meeting focused on countering terrorism. Turkey stated it respected Syria’s territorial integrity, noting that a peaceful settlement in the country should comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. It was agreed to continue such trilateral meetings.

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