Russia - Türkiye join hands in Syria after US withdrawal

"We are, of course, paying special attention to the new circumstances that have emerged in connection with the US announcement of the withdrawal of troops. The military representatives of Russia and Türkiye have agreed on how to continue coordination in the new conditions, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the terrorist threat in Syria,"AFPquoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today after talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow.

Cavusoglu also confirmed that the two countries would coordinate their operations in Syria, adding that they would also discuss plans to help refugees return home. "We will continue to work actively with Russia and Iran to accelerate the process of political stabilization in Syria," he said.

In addition to Lavrov and Cavusoglu, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar also attended the talks. Moscow said yesterday it would hold a trilateral summit with Ankara and Tehran on the conflict in Syria early next year.

US President Donald Trump decided last week to withdraw all 2,000 US troops in Syria and declared that Washington had achieved its goal of defeating the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militant group. IS has lost most of its territory, but thousands of rebels are believed to still be present in Syria.

Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his fight against rebels, had considered attacking Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. Türkiye opposed the operation, fearing that Syrian refugees would flood across its border. Moscow later reached a deal with Ankara to create a demilitarized zone around Idlib and appears to be trying to end Syria's seven-year civil war through diplomacy.