“Middle East Eye” about a Turkish official: Ankara did not discuss withdrawal from Syria during the quadripartite meeting

The British website Middle East Eye quoted a Turkish official (not named) as saying: “His country did not discuss during the quadripartite meeting held in the Russian capital Moscow last Tuesday the withdrawal of its forces from Syrian territory.”

The Turkish delegation attending the meeting had stressed the need for a political solution based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

The Turkish official explained that the file of the Turkish withdrawal from Syria was not presented at the meeting, but rather examined the possible joint means of fighting “terrorism” such as the Syrian Democratic Forces as he described it.

The second file presented at the quadripartite meeting was the return of Syrian refugees to their country after security conditions had been provided.

He said: “The Turkish delegation called for the activation of the political process in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council and the United Nations, and for the safe and voluntary return of Syrians to their country.

The Russian capital, Moscow, hosted a quadripartite meeting on Tuesday that brought together the ministers of Russia, Turkey, Iran and the Assad regime.

According to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence, the meeting concluded that the desire of all parties is to preserve the unity of Syrian territory and the need to intensify efforts to return refugees. “