Cavusoglu: Turkey-Syria talks important to ensure "lasting peace"

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that the tripartite meeting between the defence ministers and intelligence chiefs of Turkey, Syria and Russia was "useful".

He said that holding talks with the Syrian government was important in order to ensure "lasting peace and stability" in the region, Anadolu Agency reported on December 29.

“I can say it was a useful meeting,” he told journalists at a news conference in Ankara, adding that engaging with the Syrian government was important to ensure "lasting peace and stability".

Cavusoglu said a meeting between the Syrian and Turkish foreign ministers was being planned but a date had not been set yet.

Referring to the presence of “terror groups” in Syria, Cavusoglu said that Turkey will fulfil Damascus's demands to withdraw when there is “political stability” in the country. 

He added that joint collaboration against terrorism could be possible if the two sides found common ground, while emphasising that Syria was not an "obstacle" for Turkey in its fight against terror.

Cavusoglu added that Turkey remained the Syrian opposition’s guarantor and it would not violate its rights, reiterating that the opposition and the government must reconcile. 

Turkey's defence minister and his Syrian counterpart also met at the talks in Moscow on December 28, alongside their Russian counterpart and intelligence chiefs of the three countries.