Putin thanks Turkey for accepting political solution on Syria

MOSCOW

Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Presidential Council for Culture and Arts at the Kremlin in Moscow, on October 2, 2013. AFP PHOTO/ RIA-NOVOSTI/ POOL/ ALEXEI NIKOLSKY

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked Turkey, the United Kingdom and France for their agreement on the political solution in the Syrian crisis that Moscow offered.

Putin said Oct. 2 that he was pleased with Turkey, France and the United Kingdom for agreeing to solve the crisis in a peaceful, political way. The Russian president thanked “the colleagues who were eyeing a military scenario but generally agreed with our opinion about the need to use all forces and means for settling the problem peacefully – France, the UK and Turkey, I hope.”

Putin added that not only Russia but the other countries had also made their contribution to the solution plan put forward at the moment. Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama and Putin may discuss Syria on the sidelines of a regional summit in Bali next week, a top Kremlin official said Oct.3.

Although Obama is yet to confirm his attendance at the Oct. 7 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting because of a budget crisis back home, Putin’s foreign policy adviser said both Moscow and Washington were getting ready for talks.

“The two sides are currently working on organizing such a meeting, and we think the meeting will take place,” Russian news agencies quoted Yury Ushakov as saying.

“It was a [Russian] proposal that was immediately picked up by the American side.” Putin and Obama last personally discussed the crisis on the sidelines of a Sept. 5-6 economic summit in Saint Petersburg and Ushakov said it would be “logical” if the subject came up again in Bali.