Turkish delegation to mull Syrian crisis in Russia

By Azernews

By Gunay Hasanova

At the meeting on August 9 in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed ways to resolve the ongoing Syrian crisis.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has highlighted the importance of cooperation between Turkey and Russia in finding a solution to the long-standing Syria conflict.

Turkish delegation will visit Russia to discuss the Syrian crisis, Milliyet newspaper quoted Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan, as saying August 10.

Kalin said that the delegation will include employees of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces and the Foreign Ministry.

He noted that members of the Turkish delegation will also discuss security issues during the visit.

A direct line will be created between the chiefs of the Turkish and Russian General Staff, added Kalin.

In turn, President Erdogan said that if there is a need, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.S too could also be included in the process. In a reference to the Bashar al-Assad regime, he said: “Of course, we are not up for backing the killer who committed the state terrorism. Let the Syrian nation elect the one or ones who will rule them,” Anadolu Agency reported.

“I must tell this clearly, the most important step, and primary actor in bringing peace to Syria is the Russian Federation,” Erdogan added.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The "Islamic State" and Jabhat al-Nusra are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.