Russia, Turkey agree to coordinate in Syria as US exits
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Russia and Turkey have agreed to coordinate in Syria, their foreign ministers said on Saturday after a meeting in Moscow.
"An understanding was reached of how military representatives of Russia and Turkey will continue to coordinate their steps on the ground under new conditions with a view to finally rooting out terrorist threats in Syria," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The “new conditions” are the impending US withdrawal of some 2,000 troops from northern Syria, announced by President Donald Trump earlier this month. No timeline has been publicly announced for the withdrawal. American military commanders are currently drafting a plan that could see the Kurdish forces hold onto weapons given to them by the US for the war on ISIS.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he and Lavrov discussed coordinating their reaction to the US withdrawal, “everything related to the Eastern Euphrates,” and returning Syrian refugees to their homes.
Trump said that Turkey could take over the reins of the war with ISIS, a notion that has been widely condemned by analysts who say Ankara does not have the necessary military connections on the ground. The US president has slightly shifted tack, saying that the withdrawal would be “slow and highly coordinated” and not the rapid exit he had first called for.
Turkish forces and their allied Syrian militias are gathered in northern Syria, west and north of the flashpoint city of Manbij, which Ankara has threatened to “liberate” from the local Kurdish-backed forces and then move on to the rest of the Kurdish territory east of the Euphrates River.
Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish groups “terrorists” and a branch of the PKK.
Cavusoglu said Turkey and Russia are committed to fighting terrorism in Syria.
They will also continue to work for a political settlement for the country after more than seven and a half years of civil war.
Russia is expected to host a meeting of its Astana partners Iran and Turkey in January.
Lavrov said he hopes Western nations don’t obstruct their efforts to finalize the committee that will be tasked with drafting a new Syrian constitution.
"An understanding was reached of how military representatives of Russia and Turkey will continue to coordinate their steps on the ground under new conditions with a view to finally rooting out terrorist threats in Syria," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The “new conditions” are the impending US withdrawal of some 2,000 troops from northern Syria, announced by President Donald Trump earlier this month. No timeline has been publicly announced for the withdrawal. American military commanders are currently drafting a plan that could see the Kurdish forces hold onto weapons given to them by the US for the war on ISIS.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he and Lavrov discussed coordinating their reaction to the US withdrawal, “everything related to the Eastern Euphrates,” and returning Syrian refugees to their homes.
Trump said that Turkey could take over the reins of the war with ISIS, a notion that has been widely condemned by analysts who say Ankara does not have the necessary military connections on the ground. The US president has slightly shifted tack, saying that the withdrawal would be “slow and highly coordinated” and not the rapid exit he had first called for.
The next phase of US support to the #Coalition's operation in #Syria is a deliberate, well thought-out, mutually supportive, and controlled withdrawal of forces while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops' safety and protection. #DefeatISIS
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) December 28, 2018
Turkish forces and their allied Syrian militias are gathered in northern Syria, west and north of the flashpoint city of Manbij, which Ankara has threatened to “liberate” from the local Kurdish-backed forces and then move on to the rest of the Kurdish territory east of the Euphrates River.
Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish groups “terrorists” and a branch of the PKK.
Cavusoglu said Turkey and Russia are committed to fighting terrorism in Syria.
They will also continue to work for a political settlement for the country after more than seven and a half years of civil war.
Russia is expected to host a meeting of its Astana partners Iran and Turkey in January.
Lavrov said he hopes Western nations don’t obstruct their efforts to finalize the committee that will be tasked with drafting a new Syrian constitution.