Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has made statements regarding the 'normalization' process in Ankara-Damascus relations. As reported by TASS, Lavrov stated that Turkey is 'ready to discuss the withdrawal of troops from Syria, but that no agreement has been reached on specific conditions.' Speaking to the television channel Russia Today (RT), Lavrov said, "The Turks are ready for this, but an agreement on specific parameters has not yet been reached."
Lavrov continued: "We are talking about the return of refugees and the necessary measures to suppress the terrorist threat, which would make the presence of Turkish troops unnecessary. All of these are being discussed."
In a statement made in recent days, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed that efforts to improve relations with Turkey have 'not yet yielded concrete results.' Speaking at the People's Assembly, Assad stated that the withdrawal of Turkish troops was not a prerequisite for starting talks. Reiterating the 'sovereignty' condition once again, Assad used the following expressions:
"Restoring a relationship requires first eliminating the reasons that led to its destruction."
News Source: 12punto
