The United States’ decision to withdraw forces from Syria requires Russia and Turkey to boost bilateral contacts, Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Alexei Yerkhov.
“President Trump’s recent decision on pulling out US military from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic was apparently surprising for many people. There are still a lot of questions about who, when, from where and how will be withdrawn and what will be afterwards. This situation should be considered mainly in this context, and in my view this demands intensified international contacts on Syria and this is happening now. On the other hand, this requires us to step up our bilateral contacts with Turkey during which we also discuss Syria,” the diplomat stressed.
On December 19, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to start pulling out troops from Syria. He stated on Twitter that the United States had defeated the IS forces in Syria, which is the only reason for the US troops being there. Washington has a 2,000 strong contingent in Syria, which is expected to be withdrawn within 60-100 days.