The first meeting between the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria in Moscow

  A statement by the Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that the meeting of the defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Syria and the heads of the Syrian and Turkish intelligence services in Moscow took place in a constructive atmosphere.

The statement said that the Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, and the head of Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, held a meeting with the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, the Syrian Minister of Defense, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, and the heads of Turkish and Syrian intelligence, in Moscow.

Syria confirms the meeting, too. The Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement: “Today, a meeting took place between the Minister of Defense and the Director of the Syrian General Intelligence Department with their counterparts, the Minister of Defense and the head of the Turkish Intelligence Service, in the Russian capital, Moscow, with the participation of the Russian party. The two sides discussed many files, and the meeting was positive.”

The meeting discussed the Syrian crisis, the refugee problem, and "joint efforts" to combat all terrorist organizations in Syria.

As a result of the meeting, which "was held in a constructive atmosphere," the Turkish Ministry of Defense statement said, "it was agreed to continue the tripartite meetings, to ensure and maintain stability in Syria and the region as a whole."

And the Russian Ministry of Defense announced this evening, Wednesday, that the defense ministers of the Russian Federation, Syria and Turkey held tripartite talks in Moscow, which dealt with ways to solve the Syrian crisis and the refugee problem, and joint efforts to combat extremist groups in Syria, and they also discussed the continuation of stability in Syria and the region.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the parties participating in the meeting confirmed "the constructive nature of the dialogue.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement: “The defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Syria held a tripartite session of talks in the Russian capital, Moscow, today, Wednesday, to discuss ways to solve the Syrian crisis, and the need to continue dialogue to achieve stability in Syria.”

She added, "They discussed ways to solve the Syrian crisis, the refugee problem, and joint efforts to combat armed groups in Syria."

And the Russian Ministry of Defense continued: “After the meeting, the parties noted the constructive nature of the dialogue that took place in this way and the need for its continuation in order to increase the stability of the situation in Syria and the region.”

Russia offered mediation

It is noteworthy that the Turkish presidency announced, earlier, that Moscow had offered to mediate in order to hold a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Moscow announced that it was "ready to hold a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."

It is noteworthy that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed on December 15 that he "wants to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad," noting that "Russian President Vladimir Putin's view is positive on the matter."

This came after the leader of the Justice and Development Party, Orhan Miri Oglu, revealed earlier this month, "Damascus rejected Ankara's request to arrange a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad."