Vladimir Putin meets with the presidents of Turkey and Iran Wednesday for a summit aimed at reviving the peace process in Syria, two days after the Russian leader hosted surprise talks with the war-torn country’s President Bashar al-Assad.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the summit was a “very important event” in efforts to end the six-year conflict, which monitors say has killed more than 330,000 people and forced millions from their homes. Russia claims to have practically ended the military conflict through its intervention, but the various sides in Syria are far from a political agreement. Ahead of Wednesday’s summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin discussed Syria with his US counterpart Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, among other leaders. In a lengthy phone call late Tuesday, Putin and Trump stressed the need to ensure “the stability of a unified Syria,” the White House said. Syria is divided between forces loyal to Kremlin-allied strongman Assad, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and several jihadist groups and rebel units. Multiple rounds of talks hosted by the UN have failed to bring an end to the six-year war.
Other initiatives including those spearheaded by Moscow have also failed to bear much fruit. Encouraged by military progress of the Russian and Syrian forces on the ground, Putin is hoping to breathe new life in the stuttering negotiations.
Published in Daily Times, November 23rd 2017.
