In an interview with Russia Today (RT) for the documentary ‘Bridges to the East’, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Turkey is ready to discuss the withdrawal of its troops from Syria, but so far no agreement has been reached on the specific parameters of this process.
“The Turks are ready for this, but so far there is no agreement on specific parameters. We are discussing the return of refugees, the necessary measures to suppress the terrorist threat, which would make the presence of Turkish troops unnecessary. All this is being worked on,” he said.
The minister explained that, according to the Syrian government, the normalisation of relations with Ankara requires ‘a clear definition of the procedure for the final withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Syrian Arab Republic’.
Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran to hold meeting on normalisation of relations between Ankara and Damascus
On the other hand, Lavrov said that Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran will hold another meeting in the near future to discuss the normalisation of relations between Ankara and Damascus.
“Last year, with great efforts, we managed to hold meetings with the participation of the foreign and defence ministries and intelligence services. We tried to discuss the conditions that could lead to the normalisation of relations between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Turkey. Representatives of Syria, Turkey, Russia and Iran took part in these meetings, Lavrov said.
“Now we are preparing another meeting. I am confident that it will take place in the foreseeable future,” the minister added.
Lavrov also noted that Russia would like to see its partners in Damascus and Ankara normalise their relations.
“We want this, in particular, because the current leaders of Turkey and Syria had warm personal relations before 2010-2011, before the Arab Spring began. I think this will also play a positive role,” Lavrov said.
Referring to the situation in Syria, Lavrov pointed to the presence of American troops here and said: “This directly affects the situation in Syria. This is the reason for the situation east of the Euphrates,” Lavrov said.
‘The US is trying to create a semi-state in Tanf’
Recalling that the US has created a 55-kilometre zone around the Tanf settlement, Lavrov said that the Americans are not solving problems in the fight against terrorism in this region, but are trying to create a ‘semi-state’.
“There are oil and gas deposits and fertile agricultural land in this region. It is being ruthlessly exploited. The Americans and their henchmen are extracting oil, gas and grain from here and selling them. This money does not go into the Syrian budget, but is used to promote separatism and the creation of a semi-state,” he said.
‘YPG should remember what happened to Afghan leaders who trusted the US’
Commenting on relations with the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Lavrov said: “The Americans are using and playing the Kurds in their games. The Kurds must understand that their future lies in a united Syria. They should not hope that the Americans will help them, they should come to an agreement with the Syrian government, they should agree on their rights as a national minority”.
Lavrov continued: “There was a dialogue on this issue and we encouraged this dialogue. Then the Americans convinced the Kurds that it was better to increase tensions than to interact with the government. In our contacts with our Kurdish colleagues, we remind them of what happened to the Afghan leadership, which decided to rely not on its own people, not on national dialogue, but on US promises. The Americans abandoned them overnight. I hope that our Kurdish partners will take into account the historical experience of this country, which is close to Syria, and choose the path of national dialogue and agreement with Damascus on the conditions for living in a united Syrian state”.
