The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany agreed today at the summit on Syria that there is no military solution to the crisis in that country, and called for the immediate initiation of a political process to end the multi-year war.
In a joint statement after the meeting in Istanbul, they stressed the necessity of establishing a permanent ceasefire in Syria, and the need to continue the fight against extremists, at the same time calling for the formation of a committee by the end of the year that will deal with changing the country's constitution.
Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron also emphasized that it is necessary to create conditions throughout Syria for the safe and voluntary return of refugees, reports Reuters.
The leaders of the four countries state that they reject "separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the national security of neighboring countries."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the solution to the Syrian crisis cannot be military, and that it must include a political process under the auspices of the United Nations.
"At the end of this political process, there must be free elections to which all Syrians, including the diaspora, will have access," Merkel said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that all interlocutors are united that long-term stability in Syria can be achieved through political and diplomatic steps, in accordance with the resolution of the Security Council and strict respect for the principles of unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.
At a joint press conference, Putin announced that Moscow will actively participate in the work of the constitutional committee for Syria.
He expressed the hope that Turkey will soon complete the creation of a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that a constitutional committee for Syria should be formed as soon as possible, and that he hopes it will happen by the end of the year.
The Syrian people, he said, should decide on the future of the current president, Bashar al-Assad.
Erdogan said that the return of refugees to Syria was discussed, and that everyone agreed that the return should be voluntary.
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