Turkey will leave Syria after final political settlement reached: opposition head

Turkey has given assurances that it will pull its forces out of northern Syria once a final political settlement with Damascus is reached, the president of the opposition-led Syrian Negotiations Commission said Monday.

"I met with the (Turkish) foreign affairs minister and the security forces... They are committed to leaving Syria after the final [political] settlement," the Commission's Bader Jamous said during an online briefing, according to Reuters.

Meeting with journalists via Zoom, organised by @ACANU_Geneva , head of SNC Dr. @JamousBader addressed the catastrophic situation in north-west Syria after the powerful earthquake hit northern #Syria and southern Turkey. pic.twitter.com/0wGmzyaAc0

— هيئة التفاوض السورية | SNC (@SyrianHNC_en) February 6, 2023

There were no further comments related to the Turkish-Syrian talks, according to the report.

Ankara and the Syrian regime have engaged in talks mediated by Russia in recent months as part of efforts to mend ties, which were cut at the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011.

Turkish officials have previously said that they expect Ankara to withdraw from northern Syria once an acceptable political settlement is reached with the regime in Damascus.

Russia’s foreign ministry on Sunday announced an upcoming meeting between Russian, Turkish and Syrian military delegations without giving a specific date. Sources close to the Syrian regime said the meeting would take place sometime around mid-February.

Moscow – which has been mediating the talks – has backed Bashar al-Assad’s regime since 2015.

Turkey has provided support and a base for political opponents of Assad's regime, while training and fighting alongside armed rebels against his troops. 

These Turkey-backed opposition groups are frustrated and have voiced concerns over the rapprochement efforts.