Talks with Syria to continue in Turkey - report
The trilateral meeting between Turkish, Syrian and Russian foreign ministers can be held in Turkey, Deutsche Welle Turkish reported, after several other recent reports said the meeting could take place in Moscow or even the United Arab Emirates.
Citing Turkish officials, DW said an initiative by Turkish Foreign Ministry to hold the meeting in Turkey moved forward, but the Syrian administration still wanted to meet in Moscow or another third country. Officials said What Russians say about the location will also have an effect. If Ankara is chosen, than this will be the first official visit by the Syrian administration to Turkey after eleven years of civil war.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Turkey, Syria and Russia aimed to schedule a meeting of their foreign ministers this month and possibly before the middle of next week, though no date or location has yet been chosen.
Turkish Foreign Minister is bound to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the United States on January 18, so the meeting could be either before or after that trip, Turkish officials said.
The Turkish and Syrian defense ministers held landmark talks in Moscow last month to discuss border security and other issues. Last week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he may meet Assad after a trilateral foreign ministers meeting.
Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said on Sunday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also wanted to join the meeting to be able to invite the leaders of Syria and Turkey later to hold a meeting in the UAE.
