MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Turkey and Syria are showing great interest in resuming dialogue and Russia will actively contribute to the resumption of these talks, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper. Hurryet.

The top Russian diplomat noted that the previously revealed divergences between the positions of Damascus and Ankara caused a pause in the negotiation process.

“The Syrian government insists that it is necessary to first address the withdrawal of the Turkish military contingent from Syrian territory. Turkey reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, but proposes to review the issue of military withdrawal at a later date. Taking “taking into account the signals from both capitals indicating great interest in resuming dialogue, we will actively support the negotiation process as soon as possible,” he stated.

Lavrov also emphasized that normalizing relations between Syria and Türkiye is crucial to stabilizing Syria and strengthening security in the Middle East. The Foreign Minister added that Russia is making constant efforts to overcome the contradictions between Damascus and Ankara. Among the topics of special interest, Lavrov highlighted the return of Syrian refugees, the fight against terrorism and border security.

Syria has been in armed conflict since 2011. The Astana talks, also known as the Astana format, have been ongoing since 2017, with 21 meetings held to date. The Astana format includes Russia, Iran and Turkey as guarantor countries in the process of resolving the Syrian crisis, along with representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, the UN and observer countries: Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he looked forward to “constructive steps” toward normalizing relations with Syria in the near future. Erdogan mentioned in Kazan that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help persuade Syrian President Bashar Assad to respond to Ankara’s call for normalization of relations.