Lavrov: 1998 Adana pact could solve Turkey-Syria issues

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW

The 1998 Adana agreement between Turkey and Syria can help to eliminate Turkey's concerns about its security on their shared border, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference in Rabat after meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, Lavrov told how the Adana agreement is still in force, arguing it can serve as a basis for negotiating related issues.

"The Adana agreement of 1998 was concluded between Turkey and Syria, its essence is to eliminate Turkey's concerns about its security," said Lavrov.

The Syrian regime "entered into this agreement, assuming certain obligations, and we proceed from the assumption that this agreement remains in force. As I understand, so do the state parties to the agreement," he added.

In 1998 Syria and Turkey signed a pact under which Damascus worked actively to resolve Turkey's concerns regarding the terrorist PKK.

Terrorist training camps were closed in Syria, and terrorists were refused services by Syrian banks.

The two countries also cleared mines from the border zones, allowing their use for agricultural purposes.

Turkey has said a cross-border operation against the YPG/PKK -- the PKK's Syrian branch -- east of the Euphrates River will happen soon.