Russian and Turkish army officials met on Wednesday to discuss the situation inside Syria, where both countries currently have a large military presence.
According to a source in Damascus, the two sides discussed a number topics, including the ceasefire in the Idlib Governorate and the Turkish presence in areas controlled by the government.
The source said Turkey rejected the Russian proposal to handover their observation posts, which are currently surrounded by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
He added Turkey proposed a plan that would require the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to withdraw from Tal Rifa’at and Manbij in northern Aleppo and handover these towns to Ankara.
The proposed plan was rejected by the Russian delegation, as the Syrian Armed Forces are present in Tal Rifa’at and there is no security threat at either of the two towns.
Turkey has sought to take over Manbij and Tal Rifa’at since the Syrian Democratic Forces and People’s Protection Units (YPG) captured these two towns in the Aleppo Governorate.
In Tal Rifa’at, the Syrian Army and YPG have a security agreement that allows both forces to control the town.
Other than the security threat posed by Turkey and its allied militants in Tal Rifa’at, the town has been relatively safe for the locals and refugees living there.
Trending
- The UK and 12 others sanction Israel: has a new era begun for Palestine?
- Ratko Mladić and the Other Side of Hague Justice
- 25 Years After 9/11: How War Turned America Into a $1 Trillion Military Power
- Ireland pushes for sanctions on Israel as the EU divides over Palestine
- U.S.-Iran Escalation Raise Fears of a Wider War
- Egypt and China Relations Beyond Seventy Years
- Israel’s policies against UNRWA and humanitarian organizations escalates
- Israel-Turkey tensions raise fears of a wider regional confrontation
