News - Middle East: Damascus says defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Russia, Syria, Turkey, and Iran have discussed the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Arab country, as efforts continue to mend ties between Ankara and Damascus.

Syria's official news agency SANA, citing the country’s defense ministry, reported that the participants discussed the issue at a four-party meeting in the Russian capital, Moscow, on Tuesday.

"Participants in the talks discussed the issue of withdrawing Turkish troops from Syrian territory," it said. "They also discussed implementing the special agreement related to movements along the M4 international highway."

The M4 international highway crosses five provinces in northern Syria, and is considered a major crossing for the international shipping route that connects Turkey, Iraq and Jordan via Syria.

Syrian officials have on numerous occasions said that any move towards normalizing ties between Syria and Turkey can only come after Ankara agrees to pull out thousands of troops it has stationed in northwest of the Arab country. 

This came after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad called on Ankara to put an end to its military presence in Syria.

"It is impossible to talk about normalizing relations with Turkey amid its occupation of Syria’s northern areas," he stressed.