Turkey-US talks intensify to shape Syria withdrawal

Turkey and the United States will intensify talks this week to shape the latter's withdrawal from Syria amid differences over the status of the YPG and Turkey's preparations for a new military incursion into the eastern Euphrates.

Diplomats and military officials will resume talks in the Turkish capital in order to follow up last week's comprehensive negotiations chaired by White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's chief advisor, İbrahim Kalın that sought coordination of the U.S. withdrawal so that no vacuums would be created to the advantage of the terror groups.

Talks made clear that one of the U.S. priorities was to urge Turkey to give assurances on the protection of the YPG after the withdrawal while the Turkish government underlined that it will never seek any other country's consent in taking own measures against the terrorist presence just across its borders.

Therefore, this week's talks are believed to address this major fraction between Turkey and the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seemed hopeful for a breakthrough on the matter.

"We are confident we can achieve an outcome that achieves both of those - that protects the Turks from legitimate terror threats, and prevents any substantial risk to the folks who don't present terror risks to Turkey," he told reporters late Jan 12 in United Arab Emirates.