Russia, Turkey to work together on Syria's post-crisis development

World
Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday after which the Russian leader said the Russian and Turkish military and diplomats will continue joint efforts for Syria's post-crisis reconstruction.

"The cooperation of Russia and Turkey in the post-conflict reconstruction of Syria is important. We agreed with Mr. President that the military and diplomats of the two countries will continue coordinated efforts in this direction..." Putin said at a joint press conference, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan lead their respective delegations at the talks in Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, January 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

He stressed the two countries' principled stance of seeking to achieve a "sustainable solution" to the Syrian crisis on a political and diplomatic basis in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolution and in strict compliance with Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

U.S. withdrawal: A positive step

The two presidents underlined the importance of the withdrawal of U.S. military from Syria.

"If such steps and plans are really implemented, it will be a positive step and will help stabilize the situation in this troubled region," Putin said.

The U.S. administration announced in December that it was planning to withdraw its troops from Syria. Moscow has repeatedly called on Washington to elaborate its detailed plans in this regard.

"What is crucial here is to not allow the creation of a power vacuum after the withdrawal of U.S. forces," Erdogan said at the press conference.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

Stabilizing Idlib

In particular, Putin and Erdogan exchanged views on further steps to stabilize the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib, the last major rebel-held region in Syria, including the fight against terrorism and the creation of a demilitarized zone.

Putin said the Russian and Turkish defense ministers had already held talks on specific action that the two countries would take in Idlib and that the measures, which he didn't describe, would now be implemented.

“Unfortunately there are many problems there and we see them,” said Putin, standing alongside Erdogan.

He said Turkey was doing a lot to try to remedy the situation, but that more action by both Ankara and Moscow was required to “liquidate the actions of terrorist groups.”

Astana format

The two heads of state also discussed the Astana format, which remains the "most effective mechanism" for settling the conflict in Syria, Putin said.

The Astana process was launched by Russia, Turkey, and Iran in the Kazakh capital of Astana in January 2017 to bring all warring parties in the Syrian conflict to the table to find a political solution as a complementary part of the UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

Syrian government representatives, opposition delegates and other attendees take part in the plenary session of Syria peace talks in Astana, November 29, 2018. /VCG Photo

Putin added he had agreed to host another Russian-Turkish-Iranian summit soon. He did not name a date for the summit but said he and Erdogan had agreed on its provisional timing.

The Russian leader also complained about the difficulty of forming a UN-sponsored constitutional committee for Syria, saying that France, Germany, and Britain had blocked the proposed make-up of the committee in December, a move he said had come as a surprise for Moscow.

(Top image: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a news conference after their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 23, 2019. /VCG Photo)

(With inputs from Xinhua, Reuters)