DAMASCUS - Defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Türkiye and Syria met in Moscow on Wednesday, in the first publicly announced meeting between officials of both countries since the 11-year war in Syria started, the Syrian defense ministry has said.

In a statement released after midnight Wednesday, the Syrian defense ministry said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Head of Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Hakan Fidan met with Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Ali Mamlouk, Syrian intelligence chief, in Moscow.

On Tursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that the next contact with the Syrian government as part of a road map for dialogue between the two countries will be between the foreign ministers

The Russia-mediated meeting was also attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, read the statement.

The statement described the meeting as "positive," saying it touched upon efforts to fight terrorism, the situation in Syria and the issue of refugees.

It said that the three ministers underscored the need to continue the joint dialogue to stabilize the situation in Syria and the region. 

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On Tursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that the next contact with the Syrian government as part of a road map for dialogue between the two countries will be between the foreign ministers.

The foreign ministers' meeting will be the second stage of the contact after defense ministers of Russia, Türkiye and Syria met in Moscow on Wednesday for normalization between Türkiye and Syria in the decade-long Syrian war, Cavusoglu told reporters at a press briefing in the capital Ankara.

"A meeting at the level of foreign ministers is now scheduled. But there is no concrete timetable yet," he said.

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However, Cavusoglu stressed that Ankara has not changed its stance on a possible land incursion into Syria in case of a threat against Türkiye despite the ongoing dialogue.