Damascus, Jun 13 (IANS): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that the Syria-Turkey normalisation talks should work toward the goals of Turkish withdrawal from Syria and counter-terrorism, media reported.

During his meeting with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister's senior advisor Ali Asghar Khaji, Assad said Syria's main goals in the upcoming talks are Turkish withdrawal from Syrian territory and the fight against terrorism, state news agency SANA reported on Monday.

The two sides must find ways to realise these goals in cooperation with the Russian and Iranian sides, the President added.

For his part, Asghar Khaji, an advisor on special political affairs, lauded Syria for normalisation with some other Arab countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran and Russia have been mediating normalisation talks between Syria and Turkey recently, arranging several meetings on the level of Defence Ministers and Foreign Ministers.

Since late last year when Russia and Iran were paving the way for the Syria-Turkey negotiations, the Syrian government has prioritised the withdrawal of the Turkish forces from Syria as a prerequisite for the normalisation.