- Terrorism in Syria

 

On fighting terrorism in Syria, Cavusoglu said terrorist groups threatening the war-torn country had also upped the ante against Türkiye.

 

Ankara voiced its expectation from the US and Russia to fulfill their commitments against terrorist organizations in Syria and abide by agreements signed in October 2019, Cavusoglu added.

 

In 2019, Russia expressed its commitment to remove the PKK/YPG terrorist organization from the Tal Rifaat and Manbij areas in northwestern Syria after reaching an agreement with Türkiye during Ankara's Operation Peace Spring.

 

Moscow had also promised that the terrorists would be removed areas up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Turkish border until the M4 road and in the area adjacent to the Operation Peace Spring zone.

 

Likewise, the US' then-Vice President Mike Pence had also pledged to Türkiye that the PKK/YPG terror group would withdraw from the Operation Peace Spring zone.

 

But neither Moscow nor Washington kept their promises.

 

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

 

During Wednesday's meeting, both ministers had also discussed negotiations of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva that ended on Friday, seeking a solution to the ongoing civil war, according to Lavrov.

 

The Russian foreign minister also protested US support for "terror organizations," acting in Syria, saying Moscow had suffered from a similar situation in the Caucasus region in the 1990s.

 

He said they had also exchanged views on Armenian normalization with both Azerbaijan and Türkiye, adding that Russia was willing to host another meeting in Moscow between the sides.

 

Lavrov praised the development of Russian-Turkish relations, noting that bilateral trade turnover had reached $14 billion and major projects were being implemented successfully.

 

He admitted that the two countries have different views on many things, however, "when Russia and Türkiye have differences, they respect the positions of each other, this is the key to the achievements in the relations."