In a bid to restore normal ties between Turkey and Syria, a new round of talks will be held on Tuesday in Moscow, with regional power Iran also participating, according to Turkey's defence minister Hulusi Akar. The talks will involve the defence and intelligence chiefs of all four countries, and are part of Russia's effort to repair relations between its ally Damascus and Ankara, which were severed at the start of Syria's civil war in 2011.

Ankara and Damascus have had limited formal contacts since Turkey began backing rebel efforts to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed willingness to hold a peace-building summit with Assad, despite once referring to him as a "murderer". Russian President Vladimir Putin has supported Erdogan's efforts.

The upcoming talks are aimed at solving problems through negotiations and bringing peace to the region, according to Akar. Erdogan has cited the need for a military presence in northern Syria as a security measure against attacks on Turkey by Kurdish groups, which Ankara views as terrorists but which played a key role in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State.

Earlier this month, diplomats from Iran, Russia, Turkey and Syria held talks in Moscow to lay the groundwork for a foreign ministers' meeting. The talks on Tuesday will focus on the next steps toward normalization of ties between the four nations.

By Kobin Ferhad