Efforts to achieve reconciliation between Syria and Turkey, led by Russia with Emirati support, have faced a setback. Coinciding with the announcement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to postpone a meeting expected next week between the foreign ministers of Syria, Turkey, and Russia to February 1, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad emphasized yesterday during his reception of Russia's special envoy Vladimir Putin in Damascus, Alexander Lavrentiev, the need for the meetings to lead to "ending the occupation," referring to the withdrawal of Turkish forces from northern Syria.
The Russian envoy noted that his country views positively the tripartite meeting that included the defense ministers of Syria, Turkey, and Russia. However, Assad stated that "for these meetings to be fruitful, they must be built on prior coordination and planning between Syria and Russia to achieve the tangible goals and outcomes that Syria desires from these meetings based on the constants and national principles of the state and people, which are centered on ending the occupation and stopping support for terrorism."
For his part, Çavuşoğlu anticipated yesterday that he would meet with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mikdad in early February, rather than next week, as suggested by Turkish and Russian reports and sources. Çavuşoğlu mentioned, "We have previously said that there are some proposals regarding the meeting next week, but they do not suit us... It could be at the beginning of February, and we are working to determine a date."
In a related context, Saudi Arabia and Egypt stated in a joint statement yesterday during a meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries that they reject any new military operation in Syria, referring to Turkish threats.
