Turkish FM acknowledges Russia, Iran’s ‘crucial role’ in Syria
MOSCOW
REUTERS photo
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said achieving a lasting resolution of the crisis in Syria without Russia and Iran would be “impossible,” adding that Ankara would cooperate with both countries on the issue.“We have repeatedly stated, even in the period of crisis in our relations, that it would be impossible to achieve a lasting resolution in Syria without Russia’s participation. We continue to insist on this. The same can be said about Iran, with which we are also negotiating at the moment,” Çavuşoğlu told Russia’s Sputnik website on Aug. 18.
Sputnik quoted Çavuşoğlu as saying he was confident that the Syrian issue would be resolved through further “cooperation.”
Turkey and Russia and Iran have been on the opposite sides of the Syrian conflict. While Turkey wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave his post, Russia and Iran have been the staunchest supporters of the president. Russia actively entered the war on al-Assad’s side by launching its air strikes on September 2015.