Turkish and Russian military officials have good relations when it comes to Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Monday.
Speaking during a conference focused on the Middle East, Bogdanov evaluated Turkey-Russia ties.
Noting that relations between the two countries have developed effectively on the Syria issue, Bogdanov said: “Our dialogue and joint work continues. This is happening not only at the political level, but also at the military level.”
Bogdanov also noted that Russia's commanders at their Hemeimeem airbase in Syria's coastal province of Latakia have "effective and advanced contacts" with Turkish military officials.
Turkey has been the main backer of moderate opposition groups, while Russia has been the main backer of the Bashar Assad regime. Despite supporting opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, Turkey and Russia have cooperated on many diplomatic initiatives for peace and stability seeking to find a political solution in the war-torn country, particularly through the Astana meetings.
Russia joined Syria’s now 10-year conflict in September 2015, when the military regime appeared close to collapse. Moscow has since helped in tipping the balance of power in favor of Assad, whose forces now control much of the country. Hundreds of Russian troops are deployed across Syria and the country also has a military airbase along Syria’s Mediterranean coast. During the past few years, Russian warplanes targeted the areas under the control of the Syrian opposition, initially launching attacks from Hemeimeem in the west of the country.
Russian and Turkish troops have also cooperated in Idlib, the final holdout of opposition forces. A fragile truce was brokered between Moscow and Ankara in March 2020 in response to months of fighting by the Russia-backed regime. Almost a million people have fled the Assad regime’s offensive yet the regime still frequently carries out attacks on civilians, hindering most from returning to their homes and forcing them to stay in makeshift camps.
Despite backing opposing sides in both the Syrian and Libyan conflicts, Turkey and Russia have forged close cooperation in the defense, energy and tourism sectors.
NATO member Turkey has bought Russian S-400 air defenses – leading to U.S. sanctions on Turkish defense industries – and has been in talks with Russia over possibly buying a second batch.
Ankara and Moscow were also rivals in Nagorno-Karabakh during fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces last year. Russia eventually brokered a cease-fire between Turkey-backed Azerbaijan and Armenia, and it is working with Ankara to monitor it.
