Ankara shares Moscow’s approach to the territorial integrity of Syria. This was announced today by Vladimir Putin following the talks with the president of Turkey, which lasted about seven hours, first in the presence of the delegation, and then in private. According to the Russian president, Syria needs to be freed from illegal, foreign presence, as the peaceful settlement process should continue there. Putin emphasized that Recep Erdogan explained to him in detail the objectives of the Turkish military operation in the north of the country. Consequently, the long and hard dialogue in Sochi has brought quite concrete results.
See our special correspondent Evgeniy Nipot's report for more details.
We'll leave behind the off-stage talks. We're going to listen to what was really said during the press conference. The President of Russia noted that it is possible to resolve the conflict in Syria only if the country's territorial integrity is maintained. Also, it's vital to observe and take into account the interests of all peoples living in the country.
Vladimir Putin: "We share Turkey’s concern over the increasing threat of terrorism and the growth of ethnic and religious contradictions in the area. In our view, these contradictions and separatist sentiments have lately been artificially fueled by outsiders. It is important that terrorist organizations don't take advantage of the actions of the Turkish Armed Forces, including ISIS, whose militants are held captive by Kurdish paramilitary groups and who try to break loose. Syria must be freed from illegal, foreign military presence. A broad dialogue must be launched between the Syrian government and the Kurds living in the northeast of the country. Obviously, it is in the framework of such inclusive dialogue that all rights and interests of the Kurds, as an integral part of the multi-ethnic Syrian people, can be fully taken into account and realized".
Such a comprehensive dialogue became possible due to the fact that trusting relations have developed between Russia and Turkey. Both states intend to develop and strengthen this systematic and fruitful cooperation.
Vladimir Putin: "We exchanged views on how we need to act in the near future and expressed confidence that the implementation of the intergovernmental agreement on settlements and payments in national currencies, which was signed in early October, will contribute to the further growth of trade exchanges. We talked about an important document providing for not only more active use of the ruble and lira in mutual trade, but also the expansion of the acceptance of Russian Mir bank cards in Turkey, and the connection of Turkish banks and companies to the financial message transfer system of the Bank of Russia. I believe that this is another step forward on the path of expanding tourist traffic".
The Turkish President, in turn, noted that his country, together with Russia, would not allow separatist manifestations in the north of Syria and said that a special memorandum was signed following the meeting.
Recep Erdogan: "Starting tomorrow, we will carry out our project — within 150 hours, all Kurdish forces and heavy weaponry will be moved 30 kilometers (18 miles) inland and eliminated. The 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) buffer zone will be jointly patrolled. All Kurdish forces will be withdrawn from this zone. Both states will take all necessary measures to stop terrorists from infiltrating and will work in close coordination".
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the conclusion of this memorandum between Russia and Turkey should first of all stop the bloodshed. It was also reported that Syrian government forces are regaining control of the border. Representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Russia spoke in more detail about the memorandum.
Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Ministry: "Both sides reaffirm their commitment to maintaining the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria as well as ensuring Turkey’s national security. Second, they emphasize their determination to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and to resist separatist aspirations in Syria. Third, in this context, the existing status quo in the current area of Operation Peace Spring between Tel Abyad and Ras Al Ain with a depth of 32 kilometers (20 miles) will be preserved. Fourth, both sides confirm the importance of the Adana Agreement. The Russian Federation will facilitate the implementation of the Adana Agreement in modern conditions. Fifth, starting at 12:00 p.m. of October 23rd, 2019, on the Syrian side of the border between Syria and Turkey outside the Operation Peace Spring zone, a unit of the Russian Military Police and the Syrian Border Service will be deployed. They will facilitate the withdrawal of Kurdish units and their weaponry to 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Syrian-Turkish border. The withdrawal should be completed within 150 hours after 12:00 of October 23rd, 2019. From this moment, a joint Russian-Turkish patrol will begin at a depth of 10 kilometers (6,2 miles) from the border to the west and east of Operation Peace Spring area with the exception of the city of Qamishli. Sixth, all Kurdish units and their weaponry will be withdrawn from Manbij and Tall Rifat. Seventh, both sides will take the necessary measures to prevent the infiltration of terrorists. Eighth, joint efforts will be made to promote the safe and voluntary return of refugees. Ninth, a joint monitoring and verification mechanism will be established to oversee and coordinate the implementation of this memorandum".
"Thank you, Sergey".
You heard the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry thank Sergey Lavrov in Russian. And then, in Turkish, he read the memorandum.
After the press conference, Sergey Shoygu and Sergey Lavrov went to the journalists. They were asked, among other things, about the prisons where terrorists are kept.
Sergey Shoygu, Defense Minister: "We're cooperating with those who are involved in guarding the prisons and perimeters of refugee camps. There are 11 of them on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. They're quite big. The biggest one is Al Hol. There are more than 70,000 people in it. There are smaller camps too — for 3,000, 8,000, 500, 800 people. In addition, there are prisons. Almost every day, we insist that the existing guards be maintained. And they are. That is, our insistent requirement is being fulfilled. There was a period of two days when the prisons weren't guarded. As a result, some of those kept in the prisons, by our estimates, around 500 people, I won't insist that all of them were terrorists, but they escaped".
The meeting between the Russian and Turkish leaders lasted for more than six hours. This is the longest meeting between the presidents. Also it was reported that the leaders called on the international community to get involved in returning Syrian refugees back to their homes. It was also noted that only a political process can resolve all the conflicts in Syria.
Evgeniy Nipot, Pavel Kostrikov, Alevtina Karpova, VESTI, Sochi.
