BEIRUT, September 4. /TASS/. A withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria is an indispensable precondition for normalization of relations between the two countries, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said.

"The Turkish occupation in northern Syria will end. Turkey knows that the withdrawal [of its forces from Syria territory] is the only way towards restoration of relations between our countries to the previous level," the minister said, according to SANA.

Since 2017, Turkey carried out three military operations in northern Syria: the Euphrates’ Shield, the Olive Branch and the Peace Spring. These operations resulted in establishment of a buffer security zone between A’zaz and Jarabulus north of Aleppo, occupation of Afrin and taking border areas east of Euphrates under Turkey’s control. Damascus views the presence of Turkish forces as an illegal occupation.