ANKARA: The defence ministers and intelligence chiefs of Iran, Russia, Syria and Turkiye held talks on Tuesday that Ankara and Moscow described as constructive, as part of efforts to rebuild Turkiye-Syria ties after years of animosity during the Syrian war.

Nato alliance member Turkiye has backed political and armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the 12-year civil war, and sent its own troops into the country’s north.

Moscow is Assad’s main ally and Russia has encouraged a reconciliation with Ankara. But Damascus demands the full withdrawal of Turkish troops for relations to be restored.

At the talks in Moscow, the ministers and intelligence service chiefs discussed strengthening security in Syria and the normalisation of ties between Ankara and Damascus, the Turkish and Russian defence ministries said in separate statements.

Damascus slams EU sanctions as ‘threat’ to quake-hit nation

All four countries reaffirmed their desire to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and the need to intensify efforts for the speedy return of Syrian refugees to their country, the statements said.

The Syrian defence ministry said the talks discussed the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria alongside opening the strategic M4 highway that paves the way for the revival of Syria’s trade with neighbouring countries.

The Syrian and Turkish defence ministers previously held talks in Moscow in December, marking the highest-level encounter between the two countries since the war began.

The Turkish foreign minister last week said that a meeting of foreign ministers of the four countries that would build on the December talks may take place in early May, but he later said it was postponed because the parties could not agree on an exact date.

Syrian officials have repeatedly said that any moves towards normalising ties between Damascus and Ankara can only come after Turkiye agrees to pull out thousands of troops it has stationed in the rebel-held northwest.

Turkiye’s extensive military presence has prevented previous Russian-led military campaigns from restoring the last major rebel-held enclave in Syria back under state control.

EU sanctions

Syria on Tuesday condemned fresh European sanctions against individuals and entities linked to President Bashar al-Assad’s government, arguing the measures impeded aid to areas affected by a devastating earthquake.

The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and eight entities accused of involvement in human rights violations and drug trafficking in the war-torn country.

The bloc said in a statement that the sanctions “are not meant to impede the provision humanitarian assistance to any part of the country”, which was hit by a deadly quake on Feb 6.

A Syrian foreign ministry official accused the EU of “repeating lies” by “claiming sanctions on Syria do not impede the delivery of humanitarian aid or access to food and medical equipment”, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA.

The measures are “a serious threat to the lives and livelihood of Syrians”, the official said.

Following Western allies the United States and Britain, the bloc sanctioned Samer Kamal al-Assad and Wassem Badi al-Assad, the president’s cousins, over alleged involvement in the trafficking of stimulant drug captagon, a key source of income for Damascus.

The EU also imposed sanctions against others including private security firms for helping the Syrian regime recruit fighters, and Russian engineering and construction company Stroytransgaz over its control of the country’s largest phosphate mines.

On February 23, the EU had said it would ease Syria sanctions for six months to speed up aid deliveries to the quake-stricken country, after the US announced a similar move. But the Syrian foreign ministry official on Tuesday dismissed that measure as having “no effect at all, it is purely propaganda”.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2023