Sochi trilateral talks can signal start of Syria's revival

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The leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey issued a joint statement Wednesday following their trilateral talks in the Russian city of Sochi expressing their support for a comprehensive dialogue on Syria.

The statement stressed the three states' resolve to continue their cooperation to eliminate ISIL in Syria. They also pledged to coordinate to reduce violence in Syria and provide help for the Syrians to restore the unity of the country.

Syria welcomes outcome of Sochi trilateral talks

The final statement comes in the context of the summit between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian counterpart in Sochi two days ago, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Nov. 20, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The ministry said Syria welcomes the outcome of the trilateral talks on Syria's crisis solution in Sochi. It also said the support of Damascus signals the government keenness on supporting the political work to end the crisis.

Breakdown of Syria prevented

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the breakdown of Syria has been prevented, and that a new stage has been reached for the possible transition to a political settlement in the war-torn country.

Putin has also praised Turkey and Iran for playing a key role in calming the fighting in Syria. He said the presidents of Turkey and Iran played a "special role" in establishing de-escalation zones.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan meet in Sochi, Russia, Nov. 22, 2017. /Reuters Photo‍

"Large-scale military operations against terrorist gangs in Syria are coming to an end. I should note that thanks to the efforts of Russia, Iran and Turkey, it was possible to prevent the disintegration of Syria and conquest by international terrorists, as well as to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe," Putin said at the summit.

He added that now there is a "real chance" to end Syria's war which has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Political settlement on agenda

Putin said the cessation of hostilities is observed in Syria, four de-escalation zones are functioning in key regions of the country and hundreds of thousands of refugees have begun returning to their hometown.

File photo of Syrian refugees /Reuters Photo

"It can be stated with certainty that we have reached a new stage that opens the door to a real political settlement process," he said.

Underlining that the political settlement must be formalized within the framework of the Geneva process, Putin suggested developing a long-term "comprehensive system for the revival of Syria."

He said the success of the forthcoming reforms largely depends on the solution of the social and economic problems of Syria, as well as the restoration of industry, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education systems.

In particular, the president highlighted the importance of speeding up the implementation of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress and proposed to discuss the parameters of the forum with the other two heads of state.

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and Hassan Rouhani of Iran meet in Sochi, Russia, Nov. 22, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"It is obvious that the process of reform will be difficult, will require compromises and concessions from all its participants, including the Syrian government. I hope Russia, Iran and Turkey together will make the most active efforts to make this work as productive as possible," he said.

Continuous work for Syrian settlement

Russia, Turkey and Iran are calling for all parties in Syria’s six-year old conflict to intensify efforts to try to settle the crisis in the country. The three countries have brokered peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana and increasingly co-operated in recent months to set up "de-escalation zones" in Syria. This is despite Russia and Iran backing Assad and Turkey supporting his foes.

The Syrian National Dialogue Congress, proposed by Moscow in late October at Astana talks for Syrian settlement, is expected to bring together opposition and pro-government forces, as well as representatives of all Syrian ethnic and religious groups to work for the peace process in the country.

Putin's meeting with Assad before Sochi talks

Putin held a surprise meeting with Assad in Sochi on Monday. The meeting was kept secret until the next day.

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said Wednesday that the visit of Assad to Russia signals Russia's support to Syria.

"The visit of President Assad to Russia and his meeting with President Putin and top military commanders was one of the most important visits and it's a message that Russia stands by Syria and consults with it," Mekdad said.

Further hailing the Russian role, Mekdad said "Syria's allies will not accept any encroachment upon the sovereignty of Syria and we in Syria fought the war that was imposed on us out of dignity."

The Syrian armed conflict broke out in 2011 and Russia started to participate in the anti-terrorist operations in Syria in September 2015. Many experts agree that it was with Russia's help that the Syrian government gained the upper hand on the battlefield. That includes recent victories against ISIL and a drive against rebels near Damascus.

And on the same day as Putin hosted the Syria summit in Sochi, the Syrian opposition gathered in Riyadh. They said that they will continue to demand that Assad leaves power before the start of any political process.

(CGTN's Julia Lyubova also contributed to the story.)

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency