A new page of relations between Syria and Turkey

The Turkish television news channel NTF quoted on Wednesday Turkish security sources as saying that the visit held by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ogore Zeyal to Damascus, and his talks with Syrian officials had opened a new page in the bilateral relations.

The same sources added that Zeyal's visit has also paved the way for eliminating several obstacles which had prevented the realization of a remarkable breakthrough in the march of these relations.

The sources stressed that the visit of the Turkish delegation to Damascus resulted in an agreement maintained by the two sides on several common points pertaining to sharing water resources and developing political dialogue, noting that Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will visit Damascus later this year to convene a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara with the objective of discussing means of developing bilateral relations and good neighborhood.

The sources added that the Turkish delegation proposed several important suggestions calling for crystallizing a new agreement between the two countries that determines the partition of the sources of the waters of Tigris and the Euphrates, paves the way before replacing this agreement with the provisional protocol signed between the two countries in 1987 that provides for permitting 500 cubic meters of water per second to Syria.

The same sources continued that the Syrian foreign minister, for his part stressed Syria's desire to develop its relations with Turkey and Syria's desire to reach a solution to all arising problems.

The sources added that during the visit of the Turkish delegation, the two sides reviewed steps of implementing the Adanah agreement signed in 1998, noting that the Turkish side expressed satisfaction over the results which stated Syria's commitment to work for solving and eliminating elements and obstacles which used to form the framework for negative pressure in the joint security equilibrium between the two countries.