Turkish chief of general staff is traveling to Russia on Thursday to meet with his Russian counterpart to discuss Syria and regional security issues, the Turkish military said in statement, reported Anadolu.
The meeting between Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov in the capital Moscow will also include Hakan Fidan, head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), said a statement posted on the General Staff website.
The meeting will focus on recent developments in war-torn Syria, including the Astana and Geneva peace initiatives, as well as regional security issues, it added.
After meeting with Çavuşoğlu on Jan. 16 in Vancouver during a gathering on the North Korea issue, Tillerson said on Jan. 17 that previous statements by US officials about a 30,000-strong Border Security Force in Syria, including the YPG, did not precisely reflect the truth. He said it would not be correct to refer to this force as an “army,” adding that Turkish officials had been told US intentions were only “to ensure that local elements are providing security to liberated areas.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Jan. 18 that Turkey was not satisfied by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s statement that the US had no intention to build a Syria-Turkey border force, who said the issue was “misportrayed and misdescribed.”
Some experts believe Gen. Hulusi Akar's visit to Moscow is taking place after Ankara got disappointed from the US in order to get Russia's agreement to start a military operation in Afrin.
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