Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Related Articles
Sochi, SANA – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that the joint final statement of the tripartite summit of the Presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey held in the Russian city of Sochi determines future steps to be taken by the three states to solve the crisis in Syria.
President Putin made his remarks during a press conference following the tripartite summit with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Head of the Turkish regime Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Putin added that the three parties agreed to intensify cooperation till full elimination of Daesh, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations, reaffirming the importance of achieving stability and preserving sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.
The Russian president noted that the Syrian army’s battlefield successes against terrorism open new stage in crisis settlement in Syria.
Russia, Iran and Turkey also agreed on the need to continue Astana talks, preserve the cessation of hostilities and de-escalation zone agreements and enhance confidence among all Syrians, said Putin, stressing determination to prepare appropriate grounds to hold a constructive and comprehensive intra-Syrian dialogue that is based on UN Security Council’s resolution No. 2254.
Putin reiterated the guarantor states’ support to hold the Syrian national dialogue congress in Sochi with wide participation of all spectrums of Syrian people, pointing out that the defense and foreign ministries of the three states have been assigned with the mission of setting up time framework and preparing for holding Sochi meeting which will discuss issues related to the constitution and elections.
The Russian president stressed that the Syrians alone are to determine the future of their country.
Putin also briefed the Iranian and Turkish counterparts on the outcomes of his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria with stress laid on the Syrian government’s adherence to political settlement and its readiness to make constitutional amendments and run elections.
The three sides also discussed the reconstruction of Syria, the need to provide assistance to revive agricultural, trade and industrial sectors, stressing the importance of increasing the volume of humanitarian aid, cleansing the Syrian territory of landmines and maintaining the historical and cultural heritage of the country.
President Putin hoped that the agreements reached in the summit would contribute to speeding up the crisis settlement in Syria which in turn would positively reflect on the situation in the Middle East.
Earlier, Putin said that the fight against terrorists in Syria is approaching its end, affirming that the Syrian people are the only ones who determine their own future.
“We can stress that a new stage which paves the way for a real political settlement to the crisis in Syria has been reached,” Putin said during a tripartite summit meeting with Iranian and Turkish Presidents Rouhani and Erdogan, adding that the efforts exerted by Russia, Iran and Turkey maintained the unity of the Syrian territory and provided a real opportunity to resolve this crisis.
He went on to say that in reality, a decisive blow was dealt to terrorists in Syria which gave a real chance to end several- years of war, adding that “we can think of putting a long-term, comprehensive program to rebuild Syria.”
Putin noted that launching Astana meetings, nearly a year ago, has opened the door for the first time to bring together representatives of the Syrian government and “opposition” to the negotiating table, adding that seven rounds of meetings were crowned with a series of important decisions, including the approval of de-escalation zones and the cessation of hostilities agreement.
The Russian President said that the aim of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress to be held in Sochi, Russia, is to gather the widest spectrum of Syrians, expressing confidence that the dialogue during the conference will be fruitful.
For his part, President Rouhani said that Sochi’s meeting paves the way for new prospects to end the crisis in Syria, adding that Russia, Turkey and Iran worked to provide a suitable ground for realizing a political settlement to the crisis in Syria.
He asserted that the Syrian people will not allow external interference in their internal affairs as they oppose any step that affects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country.
The Iranian President said that Syria has fought terrorism for six years and the crisis has been accompanied by foreign interventions and a support to terrorists from abroad since the beginning, noting that some countries do not abandon the use of terrorism to achieve their goals.
Rouhani noted that his country stood by the Syrian people and its government against terrorism at the request of the Syrian government, adding “Iran is ready to provide assistance to the countries of the region in the fight against international terrorism.”
He affirmed that any foreign presence on the Syrian territory must be approved by the Syrian government.
In turn, President of the Turkish regime, Erdogan said that Sochi meeting is important to discuss situation in Syria ,” hoping this meeting will help find solutions to the crisis in Syria.
Manar/R.Raslan/Mazen
