US State Dept. expresses discontent over Turkey-Syria rapprochement

US State Dept. expresses discontent over Turkey-Syria rapprochement
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In a written statement to VOA Turkish, the US State Department called on countries to carefully consider the atrocities that the Assad regime has inflicted on the Syrian people over the past 10 years"

The US State Department expressed its opposition to the rapprochement between Turkish and Syrian governments after the defense ministers of the two countries met in Moscow with Russian in what marked to be the first ministerial level meeting after 11 years of conflict.

"We call on the countries to carefully consider the atrocities that the Assad regime has inflicted on the Syrian people over the past 10 years," said a spokesperson for the State Department in a written comment delivered to VOA Turkish.

On Wednesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar went to Moscow for a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmud Abbas for the first time in 11 years. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, head of Turkey’s Intelligence Agency Hakan Fidan along with Syrian and Russian intelligence chiefs also attended the meeting during which the Syrian civil war, the refugee problem and joint efforts to combat “all terrorist organizations in Syria” were discussed, according to a statement by the Turkish Defense Ministry.

The spokesperson said the US "did not support any countries to express their support for the tyrannical dictator Bashar Assad for restoration of his power"

On December 15, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that he proposed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin forming a trilateral mechanism with Russia and Syria to accelerate diplomacy between Ankara and Damascus.

"First our intelligence agencies, then defence ministers, and then foreign ministers (of the three countries) could meet. After their meetings we as the leaders may come together. I offered it to Mr Putin and he has a positive view on it," Erdogan said.