Yesterday’s meeting in Sochi, Russia, between President Vladimir Putin his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani and the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended with unanimous consensus on the withdrawal of US troops by President Donald Trump as a “positive” for the future of Syria.
The three leaders also noted that uncertainties remain about the future of Idlib in the north, the last stronghold in the hands of the anti-Assad opposition and jihadist groups.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Kremlin leader stressed that Russia has not seen any changes to date that could confirm the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. According to Putin, President Trump is not able at the moment to keep electoral promises because of internal political disputes.
Moscow also talks about unspecified “measures” – a formula used in past meetings – taken by Iran, Turkey and Russia to clean up the Idlib area, which Putin calls a “terrorist outbreak”. However, the Kremlin states that no military operations against opponents and jihadists in the north are scheduled – in the immediate future.
Iran, Russia and Turkey have armed forces in Syrian territory. Although on opposite sides (Teheran and Moscow close to Damascus, while Ankara supports the anti-Assad movements), the three countries more than UN diplomacy have managed to loosen the grip of a conflict that has caused almost half a million victims and seven million refugees.