RTSat, 27 Oct 2018 11:06 UTC
President Vladimir Putin landed in Istanbul, Turkey, where he is expected to discuss the Syrian peace settlement with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel.
The leaders will be
joined by UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. They are expected to assess the Syrian peace process and exchange ideas in relation to the situation on the ground.
Russian and Turkish defense and foreign ministers had earlier held separate meetings on this issue.
Putin had also discussed Syria in a phone conversation with French leader Emmanuel Macron. During the talks, Macron suggested extending the Idlib ceasefire agreement and firmly condemned the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict.
Last month, Russia and Turkey agreed to establish a buffer zone in the northwestern Idlib province, which is considered the last remaining stronghold of the anti-government militants.
According to the deal, all armed militants, including the Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, are to be cleared from the area.
Comment: Sputnik reports:
Germany Sees Buffer Zone in Syria's Idlib as First Step to Ceasefire - Spokesman
The German government hopes that a demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib will bring a lasting peace to the region, the cabinet's spokesman said Saturday.
"It was an important first step to avert a large-scale military offensive and a humanitarian disaster. Now the question is how it can be transformed into a lasting ceasefire in Idlib," the spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a video address.
The spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel made the statement ahead of the flight to Istanbul where Merkel was to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and France's Emmanuel Macron.
Seibert also noted that the chancellor "is convinced that every opportunity must be explored to end the seven-and-a-half-year suffering and use every communication channel with key actors."
According to the spokesperson, the four-party talks were expected to advance a UN-led political process to secure peace in Syria and the launch of a constitutional committee that will allow for a free vote in the future.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Istanbul on Saturday to take part in a quadrilateral summit on the Syrian settlement where he is joined by his international counterparts: French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to the Kremlin's press service, the four leaders will discuss Syria and "several other pressing international issues."
In July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey was planning to hold a summit on the Syrian crisis settlement with France, Germany, and Russia in early September. However, the meeting was later scheduled for October 27.
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