Ankara “will not take any action against the people of Syria.” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar made a similar assurance after talks with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow on December 28.
“I especially want to stress that there is no question of us taking any steps against our [Syrian] brothers living in Turkey and Syria. We have never taken any action that would create difficulties for them, and we will not do so in the future. Everyone should be aware of this and act on the basis of our position,” TRT TV quoted the minister as saying.
On December 28, the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow for the first time in 11 years. The meeting was held in a trilateral format with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, TASS reported.
Akar noted that the main issue on the agenda of the talks was combating terrorism. The Turkish side declared respect for Syria’s territorial integrity, noting that the settlement in the neighboring country should be carried out on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. At the end of the talks it was agreed to continue the trilateral meetings.
Source: news.am
