On Friday, September 7, a summit took place in Tehran, in which the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran took part. This is the third meeting of Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Ruhani in this composition since November 2017. Immediately add that the parties have already agreed to hold the next tripartite summit in Russia.

In a joint statement published after the talks, the heads of state expressed their firm commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the RAA, as well as to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

"They confirmed that no actions, from whom they proceed, should undermine these principles. They rejected all attempts to create new realities "on the ground" under the pretext of combating terrorism and expressed their determination to oppose separatist plans aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the national security of neighboring countries, "the document says.

The sides agreed to look for ways of settlement in the Idliba zone of de-escalation, while reaffirming their determination to continue cooperation for the final liquidation of the "Islamic State" *, "Jabhat al-Nusra" ** and other affiliations with Al-Qaeda *** or IG groupings .

"In the fight against terrorism, the division of the above-mentioned terrorist groups and armed opposition groups that have already joined or will join the regime for cessation of hostilities will be of decisive importance, including in terms of preventing civilian casualties," the leaders of the troika stressed.

The Heads of State also reiterated that the Syrian conflict does not have a military solution and can be resolved only during the negotiating political process. In this regard, the leaders indicated the intention to facilitate the establishment and launch of the work of the Constitutional Committee.

At the same time, Putin, Erdogan and Ruhani expressed their determination to continue joint efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria and to help protect civilians, as well as the return of refugees to the Arab Republic. In this regard, the leaders of the troika called on the international community, including the UN and its humanitarian agencies, to increase assistance to the UAR. First of all, through building humanitarian supplies, assisting in humanitarian demining, rebuilding life support facilities and socio-economic infrastructure and preserving the historical heritage.

"There are irrefutable proofs of training militants for provocations"

According to the Russian leader, the final elimination of terrorism in the RAA remains the unconditional priority of the guarantor countries of the Astana process on the Syrian settlement. He recalled that not so long ago, the south-west of the country was liberated, and now the main task is to drive out militants from Idlib, where their presence "poses a direct threat to the security of Syrian citizens and residents of the entire region."

The President noted that the measures for phased stabilization in the Idliba de-escalation zone provide for the possibility of reconciliation of those forces that are ready for dialogue.

"We proceed from the fact that it will be possible to agree that our call for reconciliation in the Idliba zone will be heard. Let's hope that representatives of terrorist organizations will have the sensible mind to stop resistance and lay down their arms, "Putin said.

"At the same time, we consider it unacceptable when, under the pretext of protecting the civilian population, terrorists want to be taken out from under attack, and also inflict damage on Syrian government forces," Putin said.

"It seems that this is precisely what attempts to dramatize the use of poisonous substances by the Syrian authorities are aimed at. We have irrefutable proof of the preparation of militants for such operations, to such provocations. Informed colleagues in this regard about the work carried out by Russia in the framework of the UN Security Council and the OPCW, "the Russian leader said.

He added that it is extremely important that anti-terrorist forces in Syria are joined by armed opposition groups of the UAR, which contributes to increasing the level of trust between the parties to the Syrian conflict and contributes to the process of political settlement.

Putin also said that Russia is actively contributing to the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the UAR, and with the active participation of Moscow in the country, conditions have already been created to accommodate up to a million refugees. At the same time, the president noted that, given the colossal scale of destruction, the initiative to adopt an international comprehensive program for the revival of Syria is topical.

"We must make sure that all foreign troops leave Syria"

In turn, Iranian President Hasan Ruhani stressed that the illegal presence of US forces in Syria, as well as the "acts of aggression" of Israel should immediately cease. According to him, foreign interference can only exacerbate the situation and complicate the process of establishing peace and stability, which directly affects the Syrian people.

"Our region can live in peace, but only without threats, without occupation, without militarism, without ethnic and religious discrimination. The cooperation of the three countries in the Syrian issue can become a reliable support in the establishment of peace in Syria and long-term interactions at the regional and global levels, "Ruhani stressed.

The Iranian leader noted that the situation in Idlib remains one of the most delicate issues in the world. In this area, several thousands of militants of various terrorist groups are active, so the problem arises of combating the radicals in such a way that the civilian population does not suffer.

"We must first call on terrorists to lay down their arms to stop military aggression, because their military approach can be dangerous for Idlib," Ruhani said.

He also noted that after the victory over the terrorists in Idlib, the final issue to be resolved for the settlement of the Syrian conflict will be the situation on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where significant US forces are concentrated.

"We must make sure that all foreign troops leave Syria. The next step is the constitutional committee and the restoration of Syria, "Ruhani added.

At the same time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the separation of terrorists and civilians in Idlib is key, since any wrong steps to be taken in this situation will have negative consequences for all parties.

"We must together oppose steps that will undermine the national security of neighboring countries and the territorial integrity of Syria," Erdogan said.

He stressed that if there is a military operation in Idlib, there is a risk that a new wave of migrants will move towards the Syrian-Turkish border. Turkey has already sheltered 3.5 million refugees. The same number of people, according to current estimates, are now in Idlib.

"I think it will be useful to move to a truce, because the civilian population in Idlib is seriously suffering from bombing, this poses a threat to them. Because here begins a wave of migration. The population has directed their views on our border, they can again approach it, "Erdogan said.

According to him, meetings with the participation of special services, representatives of ministries will be held to discuss this issue. It should be noted that during the discussion of the final statement Erdogan insisted on entering into the text the wording about the truce in Idlib.

"I think if you add the word" truce ", it will strengthen the process," he said.

The Russian leader noted the fairness of this proposal, but he stressed that the belligerents do not participate in the negotiations in Tehran.

"I think that the Turkish president is generally right, it would be good, but we can not say for them, especially for the terrorists" Jabhat an Nusra "or IGIL, that they will cease firing or stop using unmanned aerial vehicles with bombs" , - he explained.

As a result, the parties agreed that the common requirement is that terrorists lay down their arms.

  • Meeting of the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey
  • kremlin.ru

"It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this summit"

Following the results of the summit in Tehran, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Syria Staffan de Mistura again laid the responsibility for the settlement of the situation in Idlib on Moscow, Ankara and Tehran.

"They are the guarantors of this zone of de-escalation, so they have a direct impact on the situation, and frankly, the responsibility for its resolution. We know that at the Tehran meeting Idlib was in the spotlight, "de Mistura said.

According to political analyst Alexander Asafov, the situation in the Idlib zone of de-escalation is quite complicated, and the fact that the Troika managed to find a common point in this issue is a big plus. He noted the importance of such moments as the desire for a truce and the call to lay down arms, put forward to the militants.

"Perhaps this will even reduce the likelihood of provocations with chemical weapons, which could be followed by a blow from the United States and its allies. Such meetings should be held more often, because we see that even with certain different positions the decision is still anyway, "the expert said.

The interlocutor RT noted that the importance of the last meeting can not be overestimated.

"An important part of these negotiations was the humanitarian situation, because only countries that were represented at the summit are helping Syria actively. France is also trying to enter the process. To overestimate the significance of this summit is difficult, let's see how the events will develop further. But it's very good that such a balanced decision was found, "he summed up.

* "Islamic State" (IG) - the organization is recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.

** "Hayat Tahrir ash-Sham" ("Jabhat Fatah ash-Sham", "Front an Nusra", "Jabhat an Nusra") - the organization is recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.

*** "Al-Qaeda" - the organization is recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 14.02.2003.