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Erdogan: It Is Necessary to ‘Resist Separatist Efforts’ in Syria

Following the trilateral meeting between Turkey, Russia, and Iran, Erdogan said that restoration of order in Syria is crucial for the country’s sovereign integrity as well as the national security of the countries in the region.
Sputnik

The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, posted a series of tweets on Friday discussing the outcomes of the meeting held on September 7. He said that the Idlib question should be resolved "without giving rise to pain, new tensions or more suffering."

READ MORE: Putin: Most Important Now is To Kick Terrorists Out of Syria's Idlib

Turkey, he said, a country that hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, clearly stated that methods which disregard civilian lives would only “play into the hands of terrorists.”

Erdogan noted that "if the world turns a blind eye to the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people to further the regime’s interests," Turkey would "neither watch from the sidelines nor participate in such a game."

During the trilateral summit in Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a final statement that the only way to resolve the situation in Syria is through the negotiated political process.

Turkey Has Reportedly Proposed Evacuating Militants From Syria's Idlib

Earlier during the meeting, Erdogan said Turkey has no capacity to take any more refugees if the war continues. He said that “whatever reason there is an attack that has been made, or will be made, will result in disaster, massacre and humanitarian drama" with millions coming to Turkish borders.

In the final statement, all three sides agreed on elimination of the Daesh* terrorist forces and other terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda in the Idlib region of Syria, without which the ceasefire would be pointless, and called for the United Nations to step up humanitarian aid to Syria and help in restoring basic infrastructure assets for the safe return of the refugees.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS, IS) and al Qaeda are the terrorist groups banned in Russia, the US and many other countries.

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