The situation in Syria saw the start of a new phase today. It started in Sochi, where the Presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran, Syrian settlement guarantors, agreed on further steps, to be implemented after the country has been completely freed from terrorists. The fact that this moment is close, is confirmed by all the recent successes of the Syrian army. Our observer Pavel Zarubin is reporting from the Sochi summit on who will tackle the issue after the Army and what future Syria will face.
Different languages, dozens of TV companies. A global live broadcast. It's the Sochi summit on Syria.
The President of Iran arrived at Putin's invitation, with Putin having visited Iran only three weeks ago, and President Erdogan, who arrived in Sochi for the second time in just 1.5 weeks, which is unprecedented. Hence, the summit was indeed stacked at the very highest level.
Erdogan sees Putin's spokesman Peskov, who has a good command of Turkish.
Putin, Erdogan, and Rouhani go into the meeting room.
The list of journalists allowed in is strictly limited. The summit on Syria will take place here, it's crucial to get a spot for today. These are the chairs of the Presidents of Russia, Turkey, Iran. Certainly, it's a historic event. Many political scientists are already drawing parallels with the Yalta Conference of 1945. Russia, Turkey, and Iran are actually discussing the post-war arrangement of Syria. The chairs have inscriptions in Turkish and Persian. Putin is accompanied by Lavrov, Shoigu, and Ushakov, and the presidents of Turkey and Iran are with their foreign ministers and chiefs of general staffs.
Putin: Large-scale military operations against terrorist gangs in Syria are coming to an end. I should note that the joint efforts of Russia, Iran, and Turkey helped prevent the disintegration of Syria and its capture by international terrorists, and to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. Indeed, militants in Syria have suffered a decisive blow, and now there is a real chance to end the civil war that has lasted many years.
Over the years of the slaughter, according to the UN, nearly 400,000 people died in Syria. It was stopped only thanks to Russia's military support and extremely intense and difficult diplomatic efforts.
Putin: I want to note the special role of the President of Turkey and the President of Iran. Without the stance you took, the Astana process would not have existed. There would have been no cessation of hostilities, no ceasefire, no de-escalation zones. As a result of our decisions, their implementation, the creation of de-escalation zones, hundreds and even thousands of refugees are already returning home. Considering the enormous scale of destruction, we should think together about developing a long-term program for Syria’s comprehensive recovery.
Rouhani: From the very beginning, the crisis in Syria was accompanied by direct foreign intervention, by the support and equipment and weapon supplies for the militant groups that later formed the backbone of ISIS. some powers that claim to pursue democracy and human rights will not hesitate to make extensive use of the tools of terrorism and violence in order to achieve their short-sighted objectives.
Putin: A special burden falls on Turkey’s shoulders due to the large influx of refugees. This is an unprecedented situation. Hundreds of thousands, millions of people are located on the territory of the Republic of Turkey. Turkey itself has suffered multiple terrorist attacks.
Erdogan: I believe that we will make critical decisions today. With this feeling, I pray to Allah that this summit benefits all.
The question, of course, is so complex that the consultations are going on continuously and nonstop.
The presidents of Turkey and Iran are known to have held a separate meeting before the summit, and the Iranian president is alleged to have wanted to talk with the Russian president after the summit.
Putin: Obviously, the reform process will not be easy and will require compromise and concessions from all of its participants, including, obviously, the Syrian Government. We'll continue to work in private.
The leaders talked for almost two hours in private.
After the talks, the president’s got into a bus to meet with the journalists waiting for them. The leaders had something to say to the numerous reporters. A joint statement was signed. The main thing is that the presidents support the Syrian National Dialogue Congress.
Putin: The idea is to bring together at the negotiating table delegations from various political parties, the domestic and the external opposition, and ethnic and religious groups. The congress will address key issues on the national agenda for Syria, above all those related to defining the parameters of future statehood. The adoption of a new constitution and based on it, holding elections under UN oversight. It will give an impetus to the settlement of the Syrian conflict within the Geneva process. I reiterate that Syria’s fate should be decided by the Syrians themselves, by both those who back the incumbent government and the opposition.
In the joint statement, the Presidents of the three countries confirmed their readiness to meet again, if necessary.
Pavel Zarubin, Andrei Melnikov, Dmitry Yarmolenko, and Pyotr Ravnov for Vesti from Sochi.
