Page 10 - MEOG Week 37

MEOG PoLiCy MEOG
Presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran agree to work to ease Syrian tension
syRia
ThE presidents of Turkey, Russia and iran on September 16 agreed at a meeting in Ankara to attempt to ease tensions in northwest Syria’s idlib region.
however, not enough unity on specific goals emerged from the summit to persuade observers that a lasting truce in Syria is within reach.
Recent attacks by Russian-backed Syrian government forces have pushed a new wave of migrants towards Turkey, which at the same time is attempting to establish a safe zone beyond its border with Syria where such migrants and millions of migrants who have already reached Turkish territory could be hosted.
The attacks have also sparked worries that they could suck Turkish troops manning obser- vation posts in Syria into hostilities.
“We are in a period when we need to take more responsibility for peace in Syria, when we [three countries] need to carry more weight,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. All three leaders were in agreement that a polit- ical solution was necessary to end the crisis in Syria, he added, according to Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his iranian counterpart hassan Rouhani have sup- ported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against the rebels.
Erdogan, along with the US, and European and Arab allies, have supported different rebel factions.
in a joint statement, the three leaders said that they were alarmed about the risk of further dete- rioration of the humanitarian situation in and around idlib and had agreed to take “concrete
steps” to stop violations of previously negotiated agreements between the three countries.
There was tangible disagreement between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin over any remaining threat in Syria from islamic State. Erdogan dismissed the idea of a lingering concern completely while Putin made it plain he remained concerned that remaining islamic State terrorists and militia could still pose a danger.
“Of course, we are worried by the situation in northeast of Syria, where sleeping cells of iSiS [islamic State] are emerging,” Putin told a joint news conference, minutes after Erdogan said that the only threat in northern Syria was from Kurdish militant groups—the very groups the US, to Ankara’s dismay, has used as its main ground force in the fight against islamic State.
Erdogan said the planned “safe zone” with Russia and iran in northern Syria could take up to 3mn refugees currently living in Turkey if it was extended from Turkey’s border to Deir al Zor and Raqqa.
Neither Putin nor iranian President has- san Rouhani commented on the Turkish plans, however.
iran’s Rouhani said before the talks that diplomacy was the only solution to the crisis and called on the US to withdraw its troops from northeastern Syria immediately.
Turkish and US forces launched joint land patrols in northern Syria as part of a safe zone at the east of Euphrates river more than a week ago.
“Diplomacy and not [military] confrontation can secure peace in Syria,” Rouhani said.™
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w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 37 17•September•2019