Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday affirmed his country would continue cooperating with Turkiye regarding some unresolved issues in Syria.
Minister Shoigu, during a meeting with his visiting Turkish peer, Hakan Fidan, stated that Russia is determined to pursue the strategic cooperation with Turkiye to tackle issues related to Syria, according to a statement released by the Defense Ministry.
Shoigu has indicated at broader contacts in this respect, engaging the ministers of defense and chiefs of intelligence apparatuses from Russia, Turkiye, Syria and Iran to tackle operational and humanitarian issues in Syria.
Russia has military presence in Syria including sea and air bases. Turkey controls and patrols strips of lands in the north of the country. On the Ukraine grain deal, minister Shoigu expressed Moscow’s readiness to extend the accord mandate in case “Western states heeded Russian demands.” Moscow has called for lifting constraints on the Russian Agricultural Bank, securing maritime transportation of Russian supplies and allowing the Russian ships to dock at European ports.
Source: Kuwait News Agency