Russia offers roadmap to mend Turkey's ties with Assad during first high-level talks since Syrian war

Russia on Wednesday proposed a roadmap to normalise ties between the Syrian regime and Turkey at the first meeting of their foreign ministers since the start of the Syrian conflict over a decade ago.

"Our task is to determine the general guidelines for further progress," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the meeting that also included Iran's top diplomat.

"The best result of our discussion today would be an agreement to instruct experts to prepare a draft roadmap for Syrian-Turkish normalisation for the next ministerial meeting," he said.

Lavrov said this proposal could then be put to the leaders of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey.

Quadrilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Syria kicks off in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/xiJKQvDqCL

— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) May 10, 2023

Lavrov also said the Syrian regime and Turkey should begin discussions on repairing transport and logistics "and resuming trade and economic cooperation without any barriers".

Kremlin mediation would give President Vladimir Putin diplomatic clout with Russia isolated internationally over Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad is a staunch ally of Moscow, which intervened in the civil war in 2015, launching fierce air strikes on civilian areas to support the government's struggling forces.

In a tweet, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he stressed during the meeting the need for "cooperation in the fight against terrorism and working together to establish the basis for the return of Syrians."

Moskova'da düzenlenen Suriye konulu Dörtlü Dışişleri Bakanları toplantısında:

- Terörle mücadelede işbirliği,
- Geri dönüşlerin altyapısının işbirliği içinde sağlanması,
- Siyasi sürecin ilerletilmesi ve
- Suriye’nin toprak bütünlüğünün korunması gerektiğini vurguladık. pic.twitter.com/9j3ySIHpdF

— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) May 10, 2023

Turkey is hosting more than 3.5 million refugees from neighbouring Syria and there has recently been an increase in xenophobia against them, with politicians from various parties scapegoating them for Turkey's economic problems.

Both the ruling AKP and opposition CHP have promised to deport Syrians if they win forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, with CHP candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu vowing to return all the Syrians in Turkey within two years.

Cavusoglu also said "taking the political process in Syria forward and protection of Syria's territorial integrity," were the other issues discussed.

Turkey supported early civil and military efforts to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, keeping a military presence in northern stretches of the war-torn country that angers Damascus.

More than 500,000 civilians have been killed in Syria and millions more ever since the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011, mostly as a result of regime bombardment of civilian areas.

Despite his earlier outspoken condemnation of the regime's atrocities, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made up with former rivals across the region and is now courting a presidential summit with Bashar al-Assad.