Türkiye Says ‘Final Step’ Required before Proposed Erdogan, Assad Meeting

Demonstrators raise Syrian opposition flags and placards as they rally against a potential rapprochement between Ankara and the Syrian regime, on December 30, 2022, in the opposition-held city of al-Bab, on the border with Türkiye, in Syria's northern Aleppo province. (AFP)

Syrian regime media reported that Türkiye has agreed to fully withdraw its military from northern Syria following tripartite talks it held with Damascus and Moscow. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said such a move requires progress in the political process there. 

“Our defense minister and intelligence chief presented our position and the necessary explanation during the meeting in Moscow,” Cavusoglu told reporters on Saturday.