Putin stresses need to unify international community’s efforts to fight terrorism in Syria

Moscow, SANA – Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to unify the international community’s efforts to fight terrorism in Syria.

In a joint press conference with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan held in Moscow on Friday, Putin said that in order to preserve security and peace in the region and to begin the reconstruction of Syria, Syria’s territorial integrity must be respected as this is essential for reaching a political solution in it.

The Russian President said that the active role played by Russian, Turkey, and Iran resulted in the cessation of combat activities and produced the Syrian talks in Astana, adding that the Russian and Turkish sides agreed to increase efforts to confront terrorist organizations, particularly ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Putin said that the situation is still complicated and there’s considerable ambiguity and contradiction in the region, but he expressed cautious optimism and said that by unifying efforts and including other players including the United States, the effectiveness of the cessation of combat activities can be increased, which will pave the way towards a political process and comprehensive political settlement.

Hazem Sabbagh

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