Russia, Turkey to hold talks as Moscow seeks to keep Syria military bases: What to know
The talks come after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa reiterated his openness to negotiating with Moscow over the future of Russian military bases in Syria.
ANKARA — Officials from the Turkish and Russian foreign ministries will hold talks on Syria in Istanbul Friday after Syria's interim president said this week that the country was "nullifying" past agreements reached between the Assad regime and other countries.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Bogdanov, will lead the talks, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told reporters on Thursday.
What to know: The two sides are expected to have “a comprehensive exchange of views on regional issues, primarily concerning Syria and Palestine,” the source said, adding, “The Russian Federation is a country that Turkey attaches importance to consulting with in the context of developments in the Middle East.”
Turkey and Russia have supported warring sides in the Syrian civil war, which lasted for more than a decade and resulted in the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in December. Assad fled to Russia, where he and his family have been granted asylum for humanitarian reasons, Russian media reported at the time. Russian officials have not confirmed the asylum status.
