Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Turkish defense ministers discuss Syrian security

MOSCOW, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria and Türkiye held quadripartite talks in Moscow on Tuesday to explore measures aimed at strengthening security in Syria and normalizing Syrian-Turkish relations.

The participants paid special attention to the issues of countering all manifestations of terrorist threats and the fight against all extremist groups in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Following the talks, the parties reaffirmed their desire to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria as well as the need to intensify efforts for the speedy return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, the statement read.

The heads of defense departments considered the dialogue held in the four-party format as constructive and agreed to continue it in a bid to further stabilize the situation in Syria and the region as a whole, the ministry said.