Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, Hulusi Akar and Ali Mahmoud Abbas, held a meeting on December 28, the first such trilateral meeting since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. Held in Moscow, it is being seen as serving bilateral discussions between Syria and Turkey, mediated by Russia, at the highest level since the beginning of the conflict.
The official reports available from all three parties involved, cohere with one another. According to the Russian Defense Ministry statement, they discussed “ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, the problem of refugees, and joint efforts to combat extremist groups in Syria.” It added that the meeting had been “constructive” and that there was a need to “continue it in the interests of further stabilizing the situation” in Syria and the region.
