The final statement from the meeting of the foreign ministers of Syria, Russia, Turkey, and Iran in Moscow today, Wednesday, emphasized "Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed "establishing a roadmap for normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara," pointing to "the importance of working to restore logistical ties between Syria and Turkey."
Lavrov stated, "The best outcome of our meeting today could be an agreement to direct experts to prepare a draft roadmap for Turkish-Syrian normalization by the time of the next ministerial meeting, which will then be submitted to our heads of state." He explained that "this roadmap should allow for a clear determination of Syria's and Turkey's positions on issues of priority to them, which means addressing the problem of restoring Syrian government control over all the country's territories, ensuring reliable security along the 950-kilometer joint border with Turkey, and preventing cross-border attacks and the infiltration of terrorists."
Lavrov warned that "according to our information, the Americans have begun forming what is known as the 'Free Syrian Army' around Raqqa, with the participation of representatives from local Arab tribes and ISIS militants and other terrorist organizations, with a clear aim to use these militants against the legitimate authorities in Syria to destabilize the country." He stressed that "facilitating the safe return of Syrian refugees to their homeland is a priority for Russia, Syria, Turkey, and Iran."
Lavrov believed that "launching the Syrian-Turkish normalization process in the Astana format positively affects not only the situation around Syria but also the overall climate in the Middle East." Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova published footage from the meeting on her official Telegram channel.
Moscow hosted a quadrilateral meeting today among the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, continuing discussions from a meeting held last April at the level of defense ministers and intelligence leaders. On the sidelines of the quadrilateral meeting, the Syrian Arab Republic delegation, led by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, held a meeting with the Iranian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, upon arriving in Moscow this morning for the meeting, noted that "last year, extremely difficult conditions arose in the region, and the likelihood of military conflict in the military regions of Syria from Turkey increased, with diplomatic efforts made to prevent new conflicts in the region and along the Turkish-Syrian border." He hoped that "the steps taken so far, the meetings held in Moscow at the level of defense ministers, senior experts, and today’s quadrilateral meeting, send a strong message that Turkey and Syria focus on a political solution, the withdrawal of military forces, and the withdrawal of American occupying forces from northern Syria, while ensuring the safe return of Syrian refugees to their areas as soon as possible."
In a tweet, Amir-Abdollahian emphasized that "Iran's dynamic and multi-faceted diplomacy can outline the prospect of ending the fundamental challenges for the entire region by completing the convergence process."
