Türkiye and Syria announced new details on Sunday about the tripartite meeting between the defense ministers of Russia, Türkiye and Syria, that tackled the return of Syrian refugees, the fight against terrorism, and the Turkish military presence in northern Syria.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar asserted Türkiye's respect for Syria's territorial integrity during the meeting, adding that it only seeks to fight terrorism.
Akar also explained to the Syrian side the reason for the presence of the Turkish army on its territory.
Several media outlets close to the Syrian regime reported that Türkiye agreed, after the tripartite meeting, to withdraw its forces from Syria.
The media quoted sources who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying that Türkiye agreed to withdraw its forces from the areas it occupied in northern Syria, stressing that Russia, Türkiye, and Syria discussed the implementation of the agreement reached in Moscow on March 5, 2020, regarding the Aleppo - Latakia International Highway-M4.
The sources added that the meeting resulted in an agreement between the Turkish, Russian, and Syrian parties that the banned PKK is an "agent of Israel and the US" and poses the greatest threat to Damascus and Ankara.
Meanwhile, the Daily Sabah reported that Akar explained that terrorist groups control a third of the Syrian territory and that the Turkish army is in Syria to fight the People's Defense Units (PKK), ISIS, and other terrorists.
Ankara also wanted to prevent the mass exodus of Syrians toward Türkiye, adding that authorities sought to ensure Syrian refugees' safe and voluntary return to their homeland.
The sources indicated that the recent meeting in Moscow between the defense ministers and heads of the intelligence services of Türkiye, Syria, and Russia discussed a roadmap for normalizing relations between Ankara and Damascus.
The meeting tackled four main issues: the safe and dignified return of refugees, the return of property to their owners upon arrival, ensuring fair trials, and completing constitutional amendments to hold free and fair elections.
The meeting was held at the level of defense ministers and not at the level of foreign ministers, and the next step in the roadmap would be a meeting of the foreign ministers, but the timing has yet to be determined.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed the need to ensure a safe return of Syrian refugees, noting that the Syrian regime wanted them to return.
Cavusoglu revealed his country's readiness to hand over areas under its control to the Syrian regime "if political stability is achieved." He said it was possible to establish joint work if common ground is formed between Syria and Türkiye in combating terrorism.
The minister asserted that Türkiye respects the unity and sovereignty of the Syrian territories, adding that the presence of the Turkish forces in Syria is to combat terrorism since the Syrian authorities cannot secure stability.
During the consultations in Istanbul in December, Russia suggested a formula based on withdrawing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with their weapons from Manbij and Ain al-Arab in northern Syria to be replaced by the regime forces.
Türkiye seeks to establish a security region 30 kilometers deep inside Syrian territory.
