Leaders of Turkey, Iran and Russia meet on Syria crisis

World Today

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C), Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) pose for photographs during a press conference following a trilateral meeting on Syria, in Ankara on September 16, 2019. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)

On Monday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan hosted the 5th Trilateral Summit on Syria.

He was joined in the capital Ankara by the presidents of Russia and Iran as they discussed the latest developments in the region, hoping to speed up the process for peace in Syria.

CGTN’s Michal Bardavid reports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came together – once again – to discuss strategies for a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

The trio have met more than a dozen times during the last two years as Turkey, Russia and Iran have also been acting as guarantor states during the Astana peace process launched in Kazakhstan in 2017.

Erdogan stressed that in case of a full-blown attack by the Syrian government, Turkey would not be able to handle a new wave of refugees at its border as the country is currently hosting more than three-and-a-half million Syrian refugees.

But Putin added that extremists must be eliminated in the region.

Turkey has established 12 observation posts around Idlib under the Sochi agreement with Moscow, yet Turkish forces have recently been caught between crossfire.

According to Erdogan, one positive outcome of the summit was progress that was made regarding the constitutional committee…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated the future of Syria belongs to the Syrian people and issues resolved through dialogue.

For Turkey, another critical issue was the establishment of a safe-zone along its border with Syria. Erdogan claimed that, if extended, it could accommodate at least two million Syrians currently living in Turkey.

He stated if Turkey and the U.S. do not reach an agreement regarding the safe-zone within two weeks, Turkey would take action unilaterally.