Turkish, Russian, Iranian leaders stress no military solution to Syrian crisis

Shaimaa Raafat
2 Min Read

The leaders of Turkey, Russia, and Iran agreed on supporting the sovereignty and integrity of Syrian territories. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the three presidents stressed their refusal of military solutions to the Syrian crisis, asserting that a political course is the only possible solution to the over seven-year civil war.

On Wednesday, the Turkish capital Ankara hosted a trilateral meeting on the Syrian crisis. The meeting gathered Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Hassan Rouhani of Iran.

The three leaders declared, following their meeting, their intention to continue combating terrorism, stressing the necessity of separating the terrorists from the militant opposition. They stressed the necessity of preparing the conditions for returning displaced Syrians to their homes, as well as achieving peace and stability in the country.

Putin arrived to Ankara on Tuesday, followed by Rouhani that evening. Iran and Russia support the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad, while Turkey backs the “moderate opposition,” represented by the Free Syrian Army. The previous rounds of talks were held in the Russian city of Sochi and Astana, the Kazakh capital.

Moreover, the Russian president declared on Wednesday that the Islamic State group (IS) has been defeated in Syria, but still holds destructive potential and could attack different countries.

Furthermore, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman said during his visit to the US this week that “Al-Assad will remain in his position,” but warned him of being dominated by Iran, which is the main rival of Saudi Arabia.

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