Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani will meet in the framework of the tripartite summit on Syria on September 16 in Ankara. This was reported by the Kremlin press service.
“Further joint efforts will be considered to achieve a long-term settlement in the Syrian Arab Republic,” the statement on the official website of the Russian leader said.
It is expected that the parties will discuss “measures for the final elimination of the terrorist threat in Idlib and northeast Syria, issues of advancing the political process”, in particular, the creation of the Constitutional Committee. The heads of the three states will also touch upon humanitarian issues, including “facilitating the return of refugees and internally displaced persons”.
“At the beginning of this meeting, the leaders will publicly state their approaches to the issue of the current stage of the Syrian settlement, then the exchange of views will continue behind closed doors,” presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on September 13.
He also added that following the results of the trilateral summit, the heads of state “will adopt a joint statement that has already been prepared,” and then will speak to media representatives.
In addition, according to the Kremlin’s press service, Vladimir Putin will hold bilateral talks with Turkish and Iranian leaders.
In early August, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the upcoming meeting crucial for normalizing the situation in Syria and eliminating the humanitarian catastrophe in the republic.
“This will be a very important summit. The preliminary meeting will be held by the foreign ministers of the three countries, ”RIA Novosti quotes Cavusoglu as saying.
Recall that Moscow, Ankara and Tehran act as guarantors of a peaceful settlement in the Syrian Arab Republic. The trilateral summit of Russia, Turkey and Iran on Syria will be the fifth in a row. A previous similar meeting was held in Sochi in February. Then the leaders of the three states adopted a declaration designed to preserve the integrity of the SAR and ensure the sovereignty of the republic.
"Plays a leading role"
It is worth noting that Russia makes a significant contribution to the normalization of the situation in Syria.
“A contribution of $ 1 million has been made to the budget of the United Nations Mine Action Service and $ 3 million to the budget of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The bulk of assistance is provided on a bilateral basis, ”the Kremlin’s press service reported.
It is also noted that thanks to Russian military experts more than 2 thousand humanitarian actions were organized - "over 3.5 thousand tons of food, drinking water and basic necessities were distributed."
In addition, Russian engineers and engineers helped to clear about 2.4 thousand hectares of territory, more than 3 thousand buildings and 280 km of roads.
- The leader of the Astana platform of the Syrian opposition, Randa Cassis, at the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi on January 30, 2018
- © Alexander NEMENOV / AFP
Meanwhile, the guarantor countries of a peaceful settlement in the SAR are actively working to establish confidence between the Syrian parties "by releasing forcibly detained persons," the Kremlin informs.
“Thanks to the efforts of the relevant Working Group in the Astana format, four hostage exchange operations have already been carried out, in total more than 110 people have been released,” the press service of the Russian president said.
The Astana format plays a leading role in resolving the Syrian crisis, since all other multilateral negotiations, organized as a counterbalance, turned out to be virtually fruitless and “stomp on the spot,” said Alexander Vavilov, professor at Moscow State University and an expert on the Middle East.
“At the international level, successes in resolving the situation in the UAR occurred precisely thanks to the joint summits of the Russian, Turkish and Iranian parties,” the expert said in a conversation with RT.
Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani are meeting again at the trilateral summit on Syria, because they “have a consolidated position” on the need for an early resolution of the conflict in the SAR, a senior researcher at the Center for Post-Soviet Studies of IMEMO RAS named after EAT. Primakova Vladimir Avatkov.
“The main topics at the upcoming meeting will be the international legal and military security of the republic, as well as issues of coordination of actions for the future restoration of Syria, the development of this state,” the analyst said in an interview with RT.
“Interfere with the peace process”
According to experts, at the summit, the parties will discuss Washington’s actions in Syria, in particular, we can talk about the United States air strike on Idlib on August 31.
Recall that American aviation struck between the settlements of Maaret-Misrin and Kafer-Khaya without notice to Moscow and Ankara. According to the Center for Reconciliation of the warring parties (CPVS) in Syria, the incident led to numerous casualties and destruction.
- Al Tah Village in Syrian Idlib
- © Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP
“In violation of all previous agreements, the United States delivered a blow in the Idlib de-escalation zone without notifying the Russian or Turkish side of the planned actions,” they said.
In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that this operation of Washington “jeopardized the observance of the“ silence regime ”, introduced at 6:00 Moscow time on August 31 in the Idlib de-escalation zone.”
“The blow provoked terrorist attacks on the positions of the Syrian government forces. Despite this, the moratorium on conducting military operations in order to stabilize in Idlib is still being maintained, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The actions of the American side were condemned by the President of Turkey.
“In recent days, the United States, unfortunately, came into conflict, having carried out an air strike in Idlib, which killed about 700 civilians. Of course, there may be militants there, but Idlib is gradually disappearing ... It’s impossible to look at it in silence, ”RIA Novosti quoted Erdogan as saying at a joint press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis.
According to Alexander Vavilov, participants in the tripartite summit are likely to discuss the recent actions of the United States in Idlib province.
“All efforts that are being made in the region to normalize the situation are sabotaged by Washington. Also, the US has not fulfilled its obligation to delimit moderate opposition from terrorists, ”the expert said.
According to Vladimir Avatkov, similar measures by the American side once again suggest that Washington does not take into account the regional balance and the interests of other states in the region.
“Almost all countries related to the Syrian conflict are interested in peace. The exception is the United States, which is trying in every way to impede the peace process and the functioning of the established de-escalation zones. In this regard, the parties have a need for closer cooperation against the backdrop of American actions. Washington, in fact, is pushing its ally - Turkey - and the enemy - Iran - to cooperate, ”Avatkov says.
He also added that the parties can discuss other regional and international issues concerning Washington, in particular, the issue of the US unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) and the consequences of this measure for world security.
The importance of cooperation
Another key issue in the tripartite talks on Syria will be the elimination of the remaining terrorists on the territory of the SAR, the Kremlin’s press service reports.
Commenting on the current situation in the republic, Yuriy Ushakov emphasized that the militants continue shelling the positions of the Syrian army and nearby settlements, despite the silence regime introduced in the Idlib de-escalation zone on August 31.
“In these areas, which are not under the control of the central government, there is a certain tension and a sufficiently large presence of terrorists,” said Ushakov in anticipation of the upcoming meeting of the leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran.
Recall at the end of August, Vladimir Putin discussed with the Turkish leader additional measures to neutralize the terrorist groups in Idlib.
“We have outlined with the Turkish President additional joint measures to neutralize the terrorist centers in Idlib and normalize the situation in this zone and, as a result, in Syria as a whole,” Putin said.
- Idlib city in Syria
- Reuters
- © Mahmoud Hassano
He also noted that the de-escalation zone should not be a place of refuge for militants or a springboard for unlawful acts.
Prior to this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that it was from the areas controlled by the militants and the opposition in Idlib that "extremists do not stop their attempts to hit targets in the rest of the territory of the SAR."
It is important for Russia, Turkey and Iran to agree on different approaches to identifying terrorist groups in order to successfully normalize the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, Vladimir Avatkov believes.
“A common list of terrorists and terrorist groups in the region has not yet been worked out. Having a network character, these elements transform very quickly, so it is extremely difficult to distinguish moderate opposition from them. The parties have different opinions on this matter, so this issue may also become another topic of discussion, ”said the expert.
Avatkov also emphasized that the cooperation of Moscow, Ankara and Tehran will be extremely important not only at the current stage, but also in the future, since as a result of cooperation between these countries an effective system of regional security can be developed.
A similar opinion is shared by Alexander Vavilov. According to him, on the agenda of the meeting of the leaders of the three states is the final destruction of terrorists in Syria, as well as the restoration of the republic.
“Within the framework of these issues, at the summit in Turkey, the parties will make serious decisions and reach important agreements that will work and produce results,” the expert predicted.
Vavilov added that Syria needs enormous funds for restoration, in addition, assistance is needed directly to the citizens of the SAR, some of which still cannot return to normal life.
“The final settlement of the situation in Syria will be fraught with certain difficulties. This process cannot take place without obstacles; the interests of many parties are concentrated in the region. The process will be difficult and lengthy - too many contradictions have accumulated, too much blood has been spilled, ”the analyst said.
However, as Vavilov notes, in the development of the situation on the territory of Syria "a healthy vector is observed." According to him, the situation in the country is stabilizing, as evidenced by the establishment of a political dialogue, the return of refugees, the gradual normalization of economic life.
“Syria, from the point of view of geopolitics, is the heart of the Arab world, the cornerstone of the entire economic and political architecture of the region. Despite the fact that large forces and means will be spent on the restoration of the ATS, the republic will survive and develop, ”the expert summed up.