Russia, Turkey agree efforts towards political settlement in Syria should be enhanced - Putin

SOCHI, November 13. /TASS/. Russia and Turkey agree that it is necessary to build up efforts to promote political settlement in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday after talks with his visiting Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi. "Naturally, we discussed the Syrian settlement problems. On the background of progress in the fight against terrorists, we with Mr. President share the opinion that it is necessary to build up efforts to ensure lasting normalization in that country," he said, adding that more efforts are needed "to promote political settlement and help the Syrians in post-conflict revival." The Russian leader informed Erdogan about the joint statement on the Syrian settlement he and with US President Donald Trump had adopted at the APEC summit in Vietnam on November 11-12. He cited basic provisions of the document, namely complete defeat of Islamic State (a terrorist group outlawed in Russia), strict observance of Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. "I told Mr. President about the results of the recent visit to Iran and contacts with the Iranian leaders," Putin said. "In this context, I would like to note with satisfaction that our joint efforts with Turkey and Iran, as the Astana process guarantor nations, continue to bring about concrete results. The level of violence has obviously decreased, favorable conditions are being created to promote a UN-brokered intra-Syrian dialogue." Read more