Turkey backs Syria's military and has no immediate withdrawal plans, defense minister says
Turkey is training and advising Syria's armed forces and helping improve its defenses, and has no immediate plans for the withdrawal or relocation of its troops stationed there, Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters.
It has promised to help rebuild neighboring Syria and facilitate the return of millions of Syrian civil war refugees, and played a key role last month getting U.S. and European sanctions on Syria lifted.
The newfound Turkish influence in Damascus has raised Israeli concerns and risked a standoff or worse in Syria between the regional powers.
In written answers to questions from Reuters, Guler said Turkey and Israel - which carried out its latest airstrikes on southern Syria late on Tuesday - are continuing de-confliction talks to avoid military accidents in the country.
Reuters
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