© Umit Bektas / Reuters
Preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria through crushing terrorists and fighting foreign-sponsored separatism is a goal shared by Russia, Iran and Turkey, which they hope will bring peace to the region.
Russia's Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani met in Ankara for a trilateral summit on Syria, hosted by their Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The leaders have
reaffirmed the resolve of their countries "to oppose any separatist plans aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the national security of neighboring countries," according to a statement released after the summit.
The defeat of the terrorist remnants in Syria was described by the three leaders as a "common strategic goal," which must be reached to ensure lasting peace and to pave the path to an inclusive Syrian political solution to the years-long conflict.
"As our common strategic goal, we see the final defeat of the terrorists, who do not abandon attempts to destabilize the situation on the ground and are trying to undermine the peace process efforts," Putin said.
The military efforts against terrorism and separatism go hand-in-hand with the peace process and humanitarian efforts to help the Syrians. The three leaders urged the international community to step up and help Syrian people, instead of voicing only hollow promises.
"We urge all the countries to participate, instead of providing just lip service.
Everybody talks about the necessity to join the humanitarian efforts, for instance, but in reality almost nobody besides Iran, Turkey and Russia does anything. We see small-time deliveries though the UN channels, but they are completely insufficient," Russia's president lamented.
While the joint statement did not explicitly point fingers at the forces behind the separatists in Syria,
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pinned the blame on the US and Israel during the joint press conference with his counterparts in the aftermath of the summit.
"They've been trying to topple the government,
they wanted to spread chaos... They wanted to fuel insecurity in order to maintain their own interests but they have gained no success." Rouhani said, adding that the "illegal US presence and military intervention in Syria" are meant to ultimately lead to the "fragmentation of the country."
Erdogan, in his turn, stated that
"we all know who benefits" from terrorism and separatist activities in Syria. Turkey's leader has also reaffirmed his commitment to driving the Kurdish militias away from the country's borders. Ankara sees the militias as terrorists and an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
"I'd like to emphasize that, as long as we don't ensure security in all the regions controlled by the YPG [People's Protection Units], primarily in Manbij, we won't stop," Erdogan stated.
Comment: It may have seemed hopeless 15 years ago, but there is finally a group of nations willing not only to speak the truth, but also to back up their words with actions. And it would have been impossible if not for the resurgence of Russia as a world power. The U.S. and Israel are no longer free to pillage and destroy other countries. Iraq and Libya were not foreign policy failures. They were successes, in that the U.S. and its allies achieved their goals: spreading chaos and fuelling insecurity in order to maintain their interests. But they have failed in Syria. ISIS is all but destroyed, al-Qaeda is on the ropes, the attempt to use the Kurds to break up Iraq failed, and the attempt to use the Kurds to break up Syria is potentially just a pipe dream. It's a new world: Thierry Meyssan: Out of Syria, a new world equilibrium is rising