Shoigu attacks America and calls for maintaining the ceasefire in Syria during a ministerial meeting in Turkey
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a meeting yesterday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Istanbul to discuss bilateral and regional security and defense issues. The meeting also focused on the situation in Syria, according to Anadolu agency.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the talks between the Russian and Turkish ministers stressed the need to maintain the cease-fire in Syria.
Shoigu considered that the presence of the US army for a long time on the Syrian territories is a violation of the international norms, pointing out that the US forces have seized several Syrian regions where hydrocarbons are illegally produced, according to the statement.
Shoigu pointed out that the unilateral US sanctions imposed on the Assad regime are illegal and worsen the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Russian delegation headed by Shoigu arrived in Istanbul earlier on Friday to participate in the signing ceremony of document of the “Initiative on the Safe Transportations of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports” in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
