The Russian, Turkish and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow on Wednesday, the first such talks since the war broke out in Syria, in a clear sign of the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus.
Speaking on the issue on Thursday, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said: "At the meeting, we discussed what we could do to improve the situation in Syria and the region as soon as possible while ensuring peace, tranquility and stability."
Noting that Türkiye stressed its counterterrorism efforts during the meeting, Akar said: "We reiterated our respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty rights of all our neighbors, especially Syria and Iraq, and that our sole aim is the fight against terrorism, we have no other purpose."
"We have told them (Russia and Syria at the meeting) that we are making efforts to ensure the security of our country, nation and borders," Akar said, adding that his country is "making efforts to prevent further migration from Syria to Türkiye."
He said that the Syrian crisis must be resolved in an inclusive and holistic manner within the framework of the U.N. Security Council 2254 resolution.
"In this sense, we assess that the work to be carried out in the coming days can make significant contributions to peace and stability in the region and in Syria," Akar added.
Akar also reiterated that the Turkish, Russian and Syrian defense ministers agreed to continue tripartite meetings to ensure stability in Syria and in the wider region.
It was also the first meeting between Turkish and Syrian defense ministers since the start of the war in 2011.
At the meeting, held in a "constructive atmosphere," it was agreed to continue "the format of trilateral meetings to ensure and maintain stability in Syria and the region as a whole," according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.
With accompanying intelligence chiefs, Akar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu and Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas met to discuss "the Syrian crisis, the refugee issue, and joint efforts to fight against all terrorist groups in Syria."
Akar and Hakan Fidan, the head of Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), headed to Russia on Wednesday to have multiple meetings in the capital Moscow.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Thursday said that the second phase would be the meeting between foreign ministers.
Çavuşoğlu told Ankara representatives of media organizations that there is however no clear date yet for such a meeting and that January would be too early.
"This meeting has to be aimed toward taking concrete target-oriented steps."
On terrorist organizations in Syria, Çavuşoğlu said: "The terrorist organization is a threat to Syria, and the regime sees this as well. We did not cooperate in the fight against terrorism, but it came up in intelligence talks. Engagement and direct contact with the regime do not hinder our fight against terrorism."
Russia and Türkiye are involved in Syria, with Moscow, alongside Iran, supporting the Damascus regime against its opponents, and Ankara backing the opposition.
On Saturday, Akar told reporters that Türkiye was in talks with Russia about using Syrian airspace in a possible operation against the PKK terrorist organization’s Syrian wing, the YPG. Ankara had also indicated that Türkiye and Syria could work on counterterrorism efforts as the YPG occupies almost one-third of the land in Syria – damaging the territorial integrity of the country. After more than 11 years of civil war, Assad controls around two-thirds of the country.
"We are holding discussions with the Russians about the opening of the airspace" in Syria, he said.
The Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers had a brief informal exchange on the sidelines of a regional summit in 2021 and Ankara acknowledged contacts between the intelligence services of the two countries.
In November, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said a meeting with Syrian leader Bashar Assad was a possibility after cutting diplomatic ties with Damascus throughout the 11-year conflict.
In mid-December, he indicated that he could meet with Assad after the meeting of both countries' defense and foreign ministers.
"We want to take a step as Syria, Türkiye and Russia," he said at the time.
Any normalization between Ankara and Damascus would reshape the decadelong Syrian war. Turkish backing has been vital to sustaining moderate Syrian opposition in their last significant territorial foothold in the northwest after Assad defeated the opponent across the rest of the country, aided by Russia and Iran.
The meeting comes as recently Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country’s air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
After the air operation was launched, Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation to northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding that "this is not limited to just an air operation."
The president specified northern Syria’s PKK/YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (also known as Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
Tal Rifaat lies 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of the border with Türkiye. The PKK/YPG controls the city and surrounding villages, and Russian troops are present in the area. The Syrian National Army (SNA) controls areas surrounding Tal Rifaat from the north, while Russian-backed Syrian troops control zones mostly to the south.
Russian troops were deployed in some PKK/YPG-controlled border areas of northern Syria following a 2019 agreement that sought to avert a previous Turkish operation threat.