Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/JEDDAH: Syrian President Bashar Assad said broke his silence on Damascus’s growing reconciliation with Turkey by demanding that Ankara pull its military troops out of Syria and eliminate its support for opposition groups.
Troops out of Syria
According to the Arab News, Syria and Turkey have been at odds since Ankara became a prominent backer of the political and armed opposition to Assad during the twelve-year civil war and sent its forces into large parts of the north.
Russia is brokering a reconciliation between Ankara and Damascus. Moscow has hosted talks between their defense ministers the previous month, and the aim is for meetings between the foreign ministers and, eventually, presidents Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
