The presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran are meeting in the Russian resort city of Sochi to discuss the settlement of the Syrian crisis. They are expected to approve a joint declaration after the meeting.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the coordinated efforts of Moscow, Ankara and Tehran have prevented the disintegration of Syria. He noted that the military actions against the terrorists are coming to an end.
"A decisive strike has been carried out against Syrian terrorists, offering a real chance to put an end to the long-lasting civil war," Putin said.
Although there are real prospects for Syria to develop as a peaceful state, it is of major importance to determine basic principles of the internal political situation in the near future.
According to Vladimir Putin, "the Syrian people themselves have to agree on the principles."
Additionally, the Russian president expressed his hope that "Russia, Iran and Turkey will make the most active efforts to make this work as productive as possible."
He also noted that "the success of the forthcoming reforms largely depends on the resolution of the social and economic problems in Syria — the restoration of its industry, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education systems."
Moreover, the political settlement in Syria must be formalized within the framework of the Geneva process, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted.
"We can confidently say that we have approached a new stage, which opens an opportunity to start the real political settlement process. I believe that our efforts should be focused on ensuring the long-term normalization in Syria. First of all, I am talking about the political settlement process with the finalization of these negotiations within the framework of the Geneva process and the promotion of the country's post-conflict recovery," Putin said.
According to Putin, the process of Syrian settlement must also include the humanitarian aspect, which involves assistance to the population, demining of the liberated territories and promotion refugees' return, as well as solving economic problems.
Furthermore, Vladimir Putin admitted that the large-scale military operations against terror groups in Syria are about to finish.
"I would like to point out that due to the efforts of Russia, Iran and Turkey, the dissolution of Syria, its seizure by the international terrorists and humanitarian disaster have been prevented… The militants in Syria have suffered a devastating defeat and there is a real chance to put an end to this years-long civil war," Putin said.
The Russian President added that the ceasefire regime in Syria was being respected and four de-escalation zones created in accordance with the deals reached during the Astana reconciliation talks were operating properly.
The conflict in Syria has been accompanied by foreign interference and external support of militants from the very beginning, which delayed settlement of the crisis, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday.
"The crisis in Syria has been from the very beginning accompanied by direct foreign interference, including deployment of equipment and arms supplies, and comprehensive support of militants, which later formed the backbone of Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al Sham [terrorist groups, banned in Russia]," Rouhani said at the beginning of trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Russia's Black Sea resort of Russia.
He stressed that all of this was a "factor for delaying this crisis."