MOSCOW: The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday that the defence ministers of Turkey, Russia and Syria held a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, the first such dialogue since a war broke out in Syria.
According to the Russian defence ministry, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar and Syrian defence minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas, discussed means to resolve the Syrian crisis, the issue of refugees, and joint efforts to fight extremist groups in Syria.
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The ministers noted the constructive nature of the talks held in this format and the need to continue to further stabilizing the situation in Syria and the region, Moscow said. The Turkish defence ministry said that the meeting was held in a constructive environment.
Defence ministers
On Saturday, the Turkish defence minister told the media that Ankara was in talks with Moscow about using Syrian airspace in a possible offensive against the Kurdish groups. He said that they are holding talks with Moscow about the opening of the airspace in Syria.
It was the first contact between Syrian and Turkish defence ministers since the start of the conflict in Syria. Moscow and Ankara are reportedly involved in Syria, with Russia supporting the government in Syria while Turkey backs the opponents.
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The meeting took place as the Turkish President had threatened to conduct a military operation in northern Syria against Kurdish groups.
The Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers had a brief informal discussion on the sidelines of a regional summit in 2021 and Ankara had admitted contacts between intelligence services of the two sides.
In November, President Erdogan hinted that a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was a possibility, following cutting diplomatic relations with Syria throughout the 11 years of conflict.
