DAMASCUS (Realist English). After the Moscow meeting of the defense ministers of Turkey, Syria and Russia, Turkey agreed to withdraw its troops from Syrian territory. This was reported by the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, citing sources in Damascus.
“Following a trilateral meeting held in Moscow with the participation of Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and General Ali Mahmoud Abbas in the presence of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, it was concluded that Turkey agreed to a complete withdrawal of troops from Syria,” Al—Watan writes.
According to the newspaper, the outcome of the meeting was “Turkey’s consent to the complete withdrawal of Turkish forces from the areas occupied by them in northern Syria, as well as Ankara’s confirmation of its intention to respect the sovereignty and integrity of the Syrian territories.”
Sources note that special commissions have been formed to “ensure proper implementation” of these agreements. Additional meetings will be held between representatives of the Turkish and Syrian sides to coordinate the process. The negotiators also declared the Kurdistan Workers’ Party “a puppet of the United States and Israel, which poses the greatest danger to Syria and Turkey.”
In turn, the Kurdistan 24 TV channel believes that “the negotiations between Turkey, Russia and Syria carry an alarming prospect of concluding the following deal: Turkey recognizes the Syrian regime and refuses to support terrorist organizations, while Moscow and Damascus give Ankara complete freedom of action in the fight against the Kurds of Syria.”
On December 24, at a press conference, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Ankara was discussing agreements with Russia that would allow Turkey to launch an attack on the Kurdish People’s Self-Defense Units (YPG). On December 25, Akar visited a Turkish command post near the Syrian border, where he threatened the YPG with an invasion.
On December 28, Akar and Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan visited Moscow, where they held talks with their Russian and Syrian counterparts. Earlier, the Turkish regime used the explosion on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street, which thundered on November 13, to attack the Kurdish militia of Syria. However, under pressure from the United States, Recep Erdoğan and his clique were forced to stop the fighting without achieving their military goals.
