Russia, Turkey to “cooperate” in solving Syrian crisis
July 2, 2016, 5:35 am

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Sochi, Russia on 1 July 2016 [Image: MFA, Russia]

Turkey and Russia should work together for a political solution to the Syria crisis, RIA news agency quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday.

The two sides will now focus on normalizing relations through establishing closer diplomatic contact, Lavrov said.

“We agreed today with Minister Cavusoglu that such contact would be established in the nearest future,” he said.

The Russian Foreign Minister claimed his Turkish counterpart agreed with the Russian stance that moderate rebels who want to avoid the offensive by Syrian troops and Russian airstrikes should withdraw their forces from areas controlled by Daesh (Islamic State) militants.

“Those who don’t want to get hit need to leave positions occupied by Jabhat al-Nusra [Al-Nusra Front] and Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL]. If the patriotic opposition, constructive opposition, remains in areas controlled by terrorists, it needs to withdraw its units. Otherwise it will be considered an accomplice,” Lavrov said, adding “our Turkish colleagues confirmed today that they absolutely agree with this logic.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister said that inspite of the differences between Moscow and Ankara over Syrian rebels, the two sides could still cooperate against the terrorist threat.

“Providing coordination and cooperation between the security forces of Turkey and Russia is important to avoid the occurrence of accidents and unnecessary developments. Re-establishing this dialogue is also important for the future of Syria,” Çavu?o?lu told reporters in Sochi.

Earlier this week, Russian and Turkish Presidents spoke for the first time since Turkey shot down a Russian jet in November last year.

“Reiterating their commitment to reinvigorate bilateral relations and fight terrorism together, the two leaders agreed to remain in contact and meet in person,” a spokesperson for Erdogan said after the phone conversation between the two leaders.

Turkey and Russia have supported opposing sides in the Syrian conflict since the civil war broke out in 2011. Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against Daesh.

The coordination of anti-terrorist efforts by Russia and Turkey has become of particular importance following the terrorist attack at Istanbul’s international airport earlier this week, the Foreign Ministers said in Sochi on Friday.

“Our joint efforts to combat terrorism have become more relevant,” Lavrov said, adding that it was agreed to “promptly resume” the work of the two countries’ counter-terrorist workgroup.

TBP and Agencies