"On April 25, Moscow hosted quadrilateral talks between the defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkiye. During the meeting, practical steps were discussed in the field of strengthening security in Syria and the normalization of Syrian-Turkish relations," the ministry said in a statement.
Special attention was paid to the issues of countering all manifestations of terrorist threats, the fight against all extremist groups on the territory of Syria, the statement read.
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 heads of the defense ministries especially noted the constructive nature of the dialogue held in this format and the need to continue it in the interests of further stabilizing the situation in Syria and the region as a whole," the ministry added.
Later in the day, the Turkish Defense Ministry said that the meeting of the defense ministers of the four nations in Moscow was held in "a constructive atmosphere", adding that the parties discussed "concrete steps" that can be taken to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus
"Following the meeting, which took place in a constructive atmosphere, the importance of continuing meetings in a quadrilateral format for establishing and maintaining stability in Syria and the region as a whole was stressed," the Turkish ministry said in a tweet.
The issue of withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Syrian territory was also discussed during the meeting.
"Today, a quartet meeting was held between the defense ministers of Syria, Russia, Iran and Turkiye, which discussed the issue of the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syrian territory, as well as the implementation of a special agreement on the international highway known as M4," the ministry wrote on social media.