Turkish FM says he will meet with Syrian counterprt

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today (Thursday) in a meeting in Ankara that he will meet with the Syrian Foreign Minister in the next stage after the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria met in Moscow yesterday.

According to Anadolu news agency, he said that the Syrian government wants the refugees to return to their country, and it is necessary for Turkey to communicate with Damascus in order to achieve permanent peace and stability and ensure the safe return of the refugees.

Regarding the presence of Turkish military forces in Syria, Cavusoglu said that the Turkish army is not going to stay in Syria forever and will hand over the control of the areas to the Syrians as soon as political stability is restored there. According to him, Turkey respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and because the Syrian government is unable to provide security, the Turkish army has been stationed in the northern regions of that country.

He described yesterday's meeting between the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria in Moscow "useful" and said that coordination with the Syrian government is necessary to reach a political solution for permanent peace and stability in that country. He added that the differences between Turkey and Syria cannot be resolved without mutual cooperation.

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