Moscow hosts more Turkey-Syria rapprochement talks

Russia’s defense minister has hosted his counterparts from Iran, Syria and Turkey for talks as part of the Kremlin’s efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments. The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the talks focused on “practical steps to strengthen security in the Syrian Arab Republic and to normalize Syrian-Turkish relations.” Moscow has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015. Russia has teamed up with Iran to allow Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government to reclaim control over most of the country while Turkey has backed armed opposition to Assad throughout the 12-year conflict. Moscow has made persistent efforts to help Assad rebuild fractured ties with Turkey and other countries in the region.