Presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey agreed on Wednesday to step up cooperation to speed the peace process in Syria and help stabilize the war-ravaged country after seven years of conflict.
Hassan Rouhani, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ankara for their second summit to discuss Syria’s future and next steps in the Arab state since attending a similar meeting in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi in November.
In a joint statement issued at the end of the negotiations in the Turkish capital, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and emphasized the need to draw up a new constitution for the country under the auspices of the United Nations, Iran’s presidential website reported.
The three powers have backed peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana which they say are a parallel process to support UN-supported discussions in Geneva.
"There is no military solution to the conflict in Syria, and it can be resolved only through a political process and negotiations," Rouhani, Putin and Erdogan said, adding that the ground should be prepared for the continuation of local ceasefires and enhanced security in de-escalation zones across the country.
Humanitarian Assistance
They also urged the international community, particularly the UN, to take the measures necessary to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid, mine-clearing operations, reconstruction of Syria's heavily damaged infrastructure and preservation of its historic sites.
The statement added that Tehran, Moscow and Ankara will continue their campaign to defeat terrorists affiliated with groups such as the self-styled Islamic State, Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaeda.
"In the fight against terrorism, distinguishing the said terrorist groups from armed opposition groups that have joined or will join the ceasefire regime is of utmost importance in preventing civilian deaths," they stated, underlining the significance of involving representatives of all sections of Syrian society in the political process.
Next Summit
The presidents expressed satisfaction with the negotiations held between the three countries so far, announcing that the next three-way summit aimed at discussing ways to wind down the fighting in Syria will be hosted by the Iranian president. The exact date has not been announced.
Ahead of the summit, Rouhani held separate talks with his Turkish and Russian counterparts, in which a range of bilateral, regional and international issues were discussed.
