Putin says Russia, Iran, Turkey cannot remain silent on terrorism in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin said alerted trilateral peace summit on Syria in Sochi that that they must not remain silent on what the terrorist organizations are doing therefore he suggested the guarantor of peace: Iran, Russia and Turkey must consider practical steps that they could jointly take to fully get rid of the hotbed of terrorism in Idlib.

The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey who attended the Sochi Summit also decided to hold their next tripartite summit in Turkey upon the invitation of President Erdogan.
Putin said that the trio was investing coordinated efforts to ensure that stability prevailed in Syria again and to help the Syrians with the reconstruction process. He reminded that tens of thousands of displaced Syrians had returned to their homeland over the past six months.
Putin called on the international community, most importantly the UN and its agencies, to play a more effective role in providing support to all Syrians without preconditions.
“The cessation of hostilities’ regime is being followed all over Syria, and consequently, escalation has been reduced, which is a positive result of the joint work of the three states,” he said.
“We need to guarantee long-term de-escalation in Idlib after we have succeeded in establishing the cessation of hostilities regime in the province,” Putin said.
The northwestern province of Idlib contains the largest remaining concentrations of Takfiri terrorists in the Arab country.
Putin concluded by saying that a UN-backed Constitutional Committee tasked with composing Syria’s inclusive constitution had to start its work “very soon,” noting that remarkable efforts had been made in this regard.
Following their tripartite meeting, the three heads of state took part in a joint press conference, answering questions regarding various issues related to the current situation in Syria.
There again, Rouhani referred to the US support for terrorists fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran’s president said Washington’s relocating of Daesh terrorists to Afghanistan “can pose threats to the entire Central Asian region and other parts of the world,” adding, “One must not claim to be fighting terrorism, but help them behind the scenes.”
Still addressing the declared plan of the US withdrawal from Syria, Rouhani said “based on our intelligence we know that they will continue to meddle in Syria.”
Rouhani once again touched on the issue of Israel’s acts of aggression against the Syrian territory, criticizing the UN and other global bodies for their silence on the incursions.
“Israelis bomb anywhere in the region and fly over the Lebanese and Syrian soil whenever they wish, and unfortunately, the United Nations and global authorities are silent about these continued acts of aggression in Syria,” Iran’s president said, adding, “This silence means that they do not want full security in the region and Syria.”
“In this summit, we stressed the importance of combating terrorism in the remaining areas, including Idlib, and it was completely agreed by all that reducing tensions and the presence of guarantors in this region is temporary,” he concluded.
Putin: No signs US troops leaving Syria
Putin, for his part, told the press conference that there has been no objective evidence to prove that the US pullout is actually happening.
According to Reuters, he said US President Donald Trump was trying to fulfill his election campaign promises by ordering Syria troop withdrawal, but that he was not always able to live up to his promises, because of “internal political issues.”
The Russian head of state noted that such withdrawal would lead to stability and the restoration of Syria’s authority over its territories.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Putin stressed that aggressive measures taken by militants in Idlib would not go unpunished.
Putin added that a de-escalation zone planned for Idlib was only a temporary measure and was not meant to substitute the process of combating terrorism.
The Russian president also stated that although the guarantors had agreed to take extra steps to clear Idlib of terrorists, there would be no military operations there.
Iran, Russia, Turkey presidents adopt joint statement
At the end of the Sochi meeting on Syria, presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey issued a joint statement, stressing strong commitment to sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.
The three presidents highlighted that these principles should be universally respected and that no actions, no matter by whom they were undertaken, should undermine them.
They also rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism and expressed their determination to stand against any effort aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of neighboring countries.
They added that the US decision for the withdrawal of its forces from Syria, if implemented, would help strengthen stability and security in the country in compliance with the above-mentioned principles.
The presidents of Iran, Syria and Russia also denounced and expressed serious concern about the efforts by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists to increase their control over the Idlib de-escalation area, and agreed to effectively counter such attempts.
Iran, Russia and Turkey reiterated that there could be no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that it could only be resolved through the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated political process in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
They also highlighted the importance of creating conditions for the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally-displaced persons (IDPs) to their original places of residence in Syria.