Erdogan invites France, Germany and Russia to hold talks on Syria
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron will hold talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting will be held on October 27th in Istanbul. Its central theme will be the situation in Syria, reports the Deutsche Welle.
The parties will meet, by invitation from Erdogan, said his spokesman on Friday, October 19th. This will be the first meeting with these participants. Until now, Turkey has sought to discuss the actions in Syria on with Russia and Iran.
Merkel’s official spokeswoman Martina Fitz said that the goal of the German government is to “promote as much as possible the stabilization of Syria,” even though they are aware that this process will be “long and difficult.” Russia, an ally of the Assad regime, Berlin officially views as a “partner bearing a special responsibility,” said Fitz.
In September, Erdogan and Putin agreed to create a demilitarized zone in the Idlib province. This is the last region in Syria partially under rebel control. By mid-October, opponents of the Syrian leader Bashar Assad were supposed to leave the area. However, the plan is not fully realized, since the more radical rebels refuse to leave Idlib.