A Syrian delegation, headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Soussan, headed today (Sunday) to Moscow to participate in a meeting of the Syrian-Russian-Iranian-Turkish quartet to discuss ending the Turkish military presence on Syrian territory.

The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) stated, "The delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic, headed by Dr. Ayman Soussan, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, left Damascus this morning, heading to Moscow to participate in the quartet meeting of the assistant foreign ministers of Syria , Russia, Iran and Turkey."

The agency quoted Soussan as saying, "The Syrian delegation will hold bilateral consultations with the Russian and Iranian sides on April 3, and the next day it will participate in the quadripartite meeting."

Soussan added, "The delegation will focus specifically on ending the Turkish military presence on Syrian territory, combating terrorism, and non-interference in Syrian internal affairs."

Turkish and Russian officials had previously talked about ongoing preparations for holding this quadripartite meeting, in preparation for talks between the foreign ministers of the four countries.

Russia supports rapprochement between Syria and Turkey, and previously hosted talks between the defense ministers of the two countries on December 28 in Moscow, according to media reports.

In mid-December, Russian media reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a proposal to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin , to hold a tripartite meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , who confirmed in statements during a visit to Moscow last March that he would not meet the Turkish president unless Turkey withdrew. its forces from northern Syria.