The likelihood of a meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar Assad as Türkiye’s and Syria’s highest political officials has increased in the coming months following official meetings between the two countries at the level of the defense ministries and high security officials in the previous weeks. Russia has played a major role in pulling two neighboring countries closer together ...

Onur Sinan Güzaltan, United World International columnist, asked retired Russian diplomat and Middle East expert Vyacheslav Matuzov about the normalization steps between Türkiye and Syria. Matuzov, who has worked in Arab countries for many years, talked about Russia’s view on Türkiye and its Middle East strategy. Why is Russia mediating the negotiations between Türkiye and Syria? What is Moscow’s political ...

After years of interruption of diplomatic relations and even more, armed conflict, the governments of Türkiye and Syria have started direct communication. Defense Ministers and heads of intelligence of both countries met in Moscow under Russian mediation – an act that constituted a major turn in West Asian politics. We spoke on this change of policy with retired Lieutenant General ...

Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar and Turkish National Intelligence Director Fidan met with Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Syrian intelligence heads in Moscow. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Russian intelligence officials were also attended the meeting. The meeting caused a worldwide echo. It is considered of turning point for the near future of the region ...

At the turn of the New Year, Türkiye’s agenda remains intense. Turkish and Syrian officials met in Moscow to overcome the ongoing political dispute between the two countries since the start of the civil war in Syria. The busy agenda in Türkiye continued as we entered the new year. In a central location of the capital city Ankara, Sinan Ateş, ...