Moscow hosts more Turkey-Syria rapprochement talks

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — 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’s 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 and teamed up with Iran to allow Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government to reclaim control over most of the country. Turkey has backed the armed opposition to Assad throughout the 12-year Syrian civil war.