"The military operation in Syria is almost completed, it's time to move on to the political process," said Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.
Yesterday in Sochi, the sides discussed the Syrian settlement.
Putin: Mr. President, dear friends, let me wish you a warm welcome to Sochi. To begin with, let me congratulate you on the results achieved by Syria in the struggle against terrorist groups. To congratulate you with the end of a tough ordeal that the Syrian people is going through and which is gradually nearing the ultimate, and inevitable defeat of the terrorists.
“Mr. President, you know that the day after tomorrow Sochi will host a meeting with my counterparts, the Presidents of Turkey and Iran. You and I also agreed to decide on additional consultations during our face-to-face meeting. The major issue is, of course, a long-term, political peace settlement in Syria. You know that, apart from the above-mentioned partners, we actively work with other countries. Like Iraq, the United States of America, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, we maintain constant contact with these partners.
I'd like to discuss the main principles behind a political process, a Congress of the Peoples of Syria backed by you. I'd like to know your assessment of the current state of affairs and prospects for its further development, including your vision for a political process, which, as we see it, should be under the aegis of the UN. We expect that the UN will be actively engaged in the process, as well as in its completion. It's very good to see you, welcome!
Assad: Thank you, Mr. President. It's good to see you. It's been 2 years and several weeks since Russia started the operation, which is quite successful. Great success has been achieved over this time, both on the battlefield and politically. Many regions of Syria have been liberated from the terrorists. Those Syrians, who were forced to flee them, managed to return to their homes.
Admittedly, this operation enabled a political settlement in Syria. Russia contributed to advancing the process, that was launched, in various dimensions. Primarily, based on the respect for the UN Charter, sovereignty, and independence of the State. This stance has been promoted on various international platforms including the Astana process. It also relates to the Congress of the Peoples of Syria, that is to be held before long. Now we have a great opportunity to discuss both the upcoming Congress and the upcoming summit, and also to coordinate our positions on the further steps.
First and foremost, I'd like to seize the opportunity to convey to you, Mr. President, congratulations and the gratitude of the Syrian people for defending the territorial integrity and independence of our country. And this gratitude also relates to the structures of the Russian State that supported us. In the first place, it's the Ministry of Defense which has been with us over all this time. And I'd like to express gratitude to the Russian people which remains afriendly people and has always supported us. Thanks.
Putin: You've mentioned the Astana process. I highly appreciate it, too. Thanks to the Astana process, de-escalation zones were created, which, in its turn, for the first time started a genuine deep dialogue with the opposition. Based on our today's meeting, I'll conduct consultations with the leaders of the countries that I've already mentioned. A conversation with the Emir of Qatar is scheduled already for today. Tomorrow I'll hold a conversation with the US President Trump, followed by conversations with the leaders of the region's countries. As you know, Riyadh will host a meeting of the so-called Riyadh opposition group on November 22-23. And our representative, Mr. Lavrentyev, as my special envoy, will attend the opening and the closing ceremonies as well as take part at the press conference.
So, I believe, today's meeting is very important to make sure we are on the same page regarding all the settlement issues. I'm glad about all of this.
Assad: At this point, particularly, after we secured a number of victories over the terrorists, it is in our interests to move forward with the political process. And we believe that the situation on the ground and the political situation permits us to expect progress in the political process. We count on the support of Russia to ensure the non-interference of outside players in the political process, and that the Syrians themselves lead the process, with only help from the outside. We don't want to look back. We welcome those who are really interested in a political settlement, we are ready to have a dialogue with them.
Putin: Very well. You've just mentioned the completion of the military operation? I believe that the problem of terrorism is a global one. We still have a long way to go before we achieve complete victory over the terrorists. But as far as our joint work in fighting terrorism on the territory of Syria is concerned, this military operation is indeed wrapping up. I think that now the most important thing, of course, is to move on with the political process, and I note with satisfaction your readiness to work with all those who seek peace and a settlement.
In Sochi, Vladimir Putin also introduced the military men who played a key role in saving the Syrian Arab Republic to Bashar Assad.
Putin: I'd like to introduce the people who played a crucial role in saving Syria to Mr. Assad. Of course, Mr. Assad knows some people in person, but, as he told me today during our talks, he knows that thanks to the Russian army's efforts, Syria has been saved as a State. Much has been done to stabilize the situation in Syria. And I hope that in the near future we'll put an end to terrorism in Syria. Although, understandably, there will remain some hotbeds and new ones will appear as there are many problems with terrorism globally, in the Middle East, including Syria. But the main goal is nearing completion. Soon we'll be able to say that we have achieved it.
Today the President and I held extremely comprehensive talks on all the aspects of normalizing the situation, including further steps, on the political track. As you know, a trilateral meeting will take place the day after tomorrow. But I'd like to stress that without the efforts of the Armed Forces, without your efforts and the efforts of your subordinates, without their heroism, there would be no opportunities to advance the political process. These opportunities have been created by the Russian Armed Forces together with our Syrian friends on the battlefield. Special thanks to you.
Assad: I've just talked to President Putin. I conveyed the greetings to him and to all the Russian people, as well as the gratitude for the efforts Russia had made to save our country. I stressed the role of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the sacrifice they made to achieve this goal. And I was glad to know that you are all here today, with us, you, who were directly involved in the military operation in Syria and commanded the Russian Armed Forces.
Two years ago, when I met with President Putin in Moscow. At that time, the military operation had just started. The success of these two years is obvious. It has been achieved through the cooperation of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Army. This success in the fight against terrorism is undeniable. And thanks to your efforts, as well as the Syrian army, our allies, many Syrians managed to return to their homes. And now, on behalf of the whole Syrian people, let me express our gratitude for what you've done, we won't forget it. I'd also like to thank President Putin, Mr. Shoygu, Mr. Gerasimov for taking a thorough and direct part in this operation.Thanks a lot.
