Iranian, Turkish FMs Discuss Northern Syria Situation

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has held talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during a working breakfast in the Azeri capital of Baku.

In this meeting, the two sides conferred on the latest developments in bilateral ties, the current situation in northern Syria, the Astana Process, the formation of a Constitutional Committee in Syria, and other issues of mutual interest.

The talks came after a deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a 10-point memorandum of understanding to end the conflict in northern Syria.

Russia and Turkey announced a wide-ranging agreement that addresses a major Turkish concern — the presence of Kurdish YPG forces near their border.

Under the deal, Russian military police and Syrian border guards will enter the Syrian side of the Syrian-Turkish border from noon Wednesday. Over the next 150 hours, they are to remove the YPG and their weapons, back to 30 km (about 18 miles) from the border. From 6 p.m. local time next Tuesday, the Russian military police and Turkish military will begin patrols along that line.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi hailed the agreement, and said Iran welcomes any move that would result in the maintenance of Syria’s territorial integrity, reinforcement of its national sovereignty, and return of stability and calm to the region.

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