Ankara, Jan 11 (IANS): Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has warned Syrian opposition groups against "provocations" amid ongoing protests over normalisation talks between Ankara and Damascus.

Akar pledged his country will not take any actions against the Syrian rebels, and urged them to remain calm and "act with this awareness," according to the semi-official Anadolu news agency.

The Turkish Minister told reporters on Tuesday after a cabinet that the reconciliation efforts between the two neighbouring countries were "in good faith" and aimed to improve bilateral times and promote regional peace.

"We hope that (the talks) develop through mutual negotiations and turn into a situation that will contribute to peace and stability for the region," Akar said.

Turkey works to find a solution to the migration problem, he added, stressing the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland will be voluntarily in line with the decisions of the UN, Xinhua news agency reported.

Syrian, Turkish, and Russian Defence Ministers, along with Intelligence Chiefs, met in Moscow on December 28, 2022, marking the first high-level contact between Ankara and Damascus since the start of the Syrian conflict.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he might meet his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to foster peace and stability in the region.

The two leaders have not met since the outbreak of a civil war in Syria in 2011, as Turkey has backed Syrian rebels politically and militarily during the 11-year crisis. Turkey also hosts nearly 3.7 million refugees from Syria.

Syrian rebels fighting to topple al-Assad have been protesting the normalisation talks between Ankara and Damascus.