BEIRUT: Syria’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Faisal Meqdad said in comments Thursday his government would respond to any Turkish violations of his country’s sovereignty.

“Syria will retaliate to any violation of its sovereignty,” Meqdad told Syrian daily Al-Watan, adding however that Damascus “hopes peace will prevail along Syrian-Turkish border.”

Meqdad said his government agreed to a Russian initiative to form a joint security committee to monitor the border on both sides in the aim of “preserving security and peace on the border.”

He also said international mediator on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, would be heading to his country in the coming days.

“Brahimi will arrive in the coming few days and we will discuss all of these matters,” Meqdad said, when asked about the envoy’s call for a cease-fire during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.