Turkish Political-Security Delegation to Negotiate on Syria in Russia

The Turkish Foreign Minister states that a delegation of security, military officials, and members of the Foreign Ministry will travel to St. Petersburg to discuss Syria in order to find a solution to the Syrian crisis. This statement by Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu comes a day after talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. According to the Associated Press, the two leaders held a separate meeting regarding the crisis in Syria despite their differences. Çavuşoğlu noted that both sides agree on 'ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and political transition' but likely have disagreements on the implementation of the ceasefire. The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, citing senior Ankara officials, reports that the leaders agreed to establish a mechanism regarding Syria and a direct military channel to prevent unintended aerial incidents over the country. This mechanism will involve personnel from the security services, Foreign Ministry, and military of both sides, with a delegation from this group set to meet on August 12 in St. Petersburg. Hurriyet describes this meeting as 'one of the immediate achievements of the Erdoğan-Putin negotiations.' Turkey and Russia are seen as allies of two opposing groups in the Syrian civil war; Moscow, alongside Tehran, is a main supporter of Bashar al-Assad, while Ankara supports a group of Assad's opponents alongside some Western and Arab countries. Hurriyet states that 'Turkish officials will report to their Russian counterparts the locations of civilians and gatherings of moderate rebels and request that the fighting focus on the ISIS group.' Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu previously stated that recent negotiations and cooperation between Ankara and Moscow should not be viewed as 'a message to the West.' He emphasized that 'we are doing this for our own interests, for the interests of the region. If we want to send a message to the West, we will do it clearly.' These comments come amid tensions and crises in Turkey's relations with some of its Western allies following the failed coup. Some European capitals and human rights organizations have expressed concern over the reactions to the coup. Ankara has rejected these concerns, but there have been sharp exchanges between some officials in Vienna, Berlin, and the Turkish government. Additionally, Turkey has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction over the presence of Fethullah Gülen in the U.S. and his non-extradition. The United States has stated it is reviewing evidence that Turkey claims indicates Gülen's 'leadership' of the coup. Washington asserts it cannot decide on extradition outside of standard legal procedures. The Turkish Foreign Minister has stated that many Western countries have shown 'whether they are our true friends or not' after the coup, and that the future of Ankara's relations with the West and the future of Turkey-Russia relations will not affect each other.