MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Turkey and Syria show serious interest in resuming dialogue, and Russia will actively contribute to the resumption of these talks, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper. Hurriyet.

The senior Russian diplomat pointed out that previously disclosed divergences between the positions of Damascus and Ankara led to a pause in the negotiation process.

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

Lavrov also stressed that the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkey is crucial for stabilizing Syria and strengthening security in the Middle East. The foreign minister added that Russia is making consistent efforts to overcome the contradictions between Damascus and Ankara. Among the issues of particular 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 solving the Syrian crisis, alongside representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, the UN and observer countries: Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expected “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.