Syrian official: Any result at the meeting in Astana requires the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the territory of Syria

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Syria said: "Any real result at the meeting in Astana on Syria should be based on Turkey's recognition of the withdrawal of its troops from the territory of Syria."

On Tuesday, the 20th round of the quadripartite meeting in the Astana format began on the settlement of internal disputes in Syria at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, Turkey and Syria. At first, negotiations were conducted by delegations from the Russian Federation and the SAR.
 
According to sss news agency, at this meeting, Ayman Sosan stressed: "Any real result of the Astana process on Syria should be based on Turkey's recognition of the withdrawal of its troops from Syrian territory according to the schedule and specific stages."
 
"The withdrawal of Turkish troops according to a certain schedule provides a basis for discussing other issues related to the return of refugees, the fight against terrorism in all its forms and relations between the two states," he said.
 
"The Turkish authorities' statements about the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria contradict the ongoing occupation of Syrian territory and violate international law and the most elementary principles of relations between countries," Sosan added.
 
Negotiations in Astana began in January 2017 at the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the cooperation of Russia and Turkey in order to establish peace in Syria.