Damascus, Ankara Should Establish Practical Cooperation Based On 1998 Adana Pact - Moscow

Damascus and Ankara should establish practical cooperation, based on the 1998 bilateral Adana pact, and Russia is ready to promote their dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday, as Turkey's offensive in Syria's north enters second week

SOCHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2019) Damascus and Ankara should establish practical cooperation, based on the 1998 bilateral Adana pact, and Russia is ready to promote their dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday, as Turkey's offensive in Syria's north enters second week.

The 1998 deal aimed at restoring bilateral relations following a crisis that erupted due to Syria sheltering militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is officially listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey. Under the agreement, Syria had to halt PKK activities on its territory, while Turkey, in turn, gained the opportunity to take appropriate measures to deter the terrorist threat.

"We have always said that we acknowledge Turkish forces' legitimate interests in ensuring border security.

At the same time, we favor Damascus and Ankara establishing practical cooperation, based on the 1998 Adana agreement," Lavrov told reporters.

The military should agree on specific parameters of this cooperation, the Russian minister stressed.

"We are ready to facilitate this dialogue," Lavrov added.

Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria on October 9 in a bid to create a "safe zone" along the border that would be free of Kurdish militias, considered by Ankara an extension of the PKK. Damascus has sent forces to Syria's north to counter the Turkish military, and the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the Syrian army had seized control over Manbij, Dadat and Umm-Mial.