Russian-Turkish agreements to put an end to suffering of civilians in Syria - Putin

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he hopes that the agreements reached by Moscow and Ankara following the talks in the Kremlin will put an end to civilians’ suffering in Syria and create conditions for continuing the peaceful settlement process in the country. Putin told reporters that, following his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the parties agreed on a joint document on the situation in Syria. Its provisions were later voiced by the two countries’ foreign ministers. According to the Russian leader, the joint statement outlines those decisions, which were hammered out by the two presidents "during more than six hours of consultations today." "I express the hope that these agreements will serve as a good basis for ending the hostilities in the Idlib de-escalation zone, put an end to the suffering of the civilian population and the growing humanitarian crisis, create conditions for continuing the peaceful process in Syria between all parties to the conflict," Putin said. According to the head of state, the meeting in the Kremlin was preceded by "major efforts and several rounds of intense consultations between interagency delegations with an emphasis on the crisis in the Idlib zone." "We proceed from the need to abide by the principles of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We are also certain that we cannot allow the war on terror to weaken," he added. In conclusion, Putin thanked Erdogan for the visit describing the talks as difficult but adding that they yielded positive results. "I want to thank Mr. President for coming to Moscow today to reaffirm the level of our relations. I want to thank all Turkish counterparts for the hard but constructive work, which I believe has yielded positive results," the head of state said. Read more