Turkish foreign minister, Syrian opposition officials discuss latest developments in war-torn country

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday hosted officials from the Syrian opposition in the capital Ankara for talks.

Cavusoglu met with Salem al-Meslet, president of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Badr Jamous, head of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, and Abdulrahman Mustafa, prime minister of the provisional government.

"Addressed the recent developments regarding Syria. Reiterated our support for the Syrian Opposition & the Syrian people in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254," the top Turkish diplomat said on Twitter.

Russia's long-standing effort to open a channel of dialogue between Türkiye and the Bashar al-Assad regime paid off last year, as the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Türkiye, Russia and the Assad regime met in Moscow on Dec. 28.

Also, Cavusoglu on Saturday said Türkiye's second meeting with the Syrian regime could be held in mid-January.

Speaking to reporters in Brazil about a recent phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Cavusoglu said Lavrov asked him when they will hold the tripartite ministerial meeting and they agreed to hold it in the second half of January.