Top News

Putin, Erdogan 'satisfied' with Sochi Syria congress: Kremlin

Published January 31, 2018 Updated January 31, 2018 01:29pm

"The heads of state expressed satisfaction with the results of the Congress of Syrian National Dialogue held in Sochi on January 30," the Kremlin said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Russia hosted a Syria peace congress in an effort to find a peace settlement after seven years of war but the conference closed without a significant breakthrough after a string of boycotts and last-minute cancellations.

Nevertheless, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said delegates had agreed to the formation of a committee to discuss the war-torn country's post-war constitution.

The Kremlin statement said Putin and Erdogan "emphasised the importance of the agreements" reached at Sochi, adding they were aimed at finding a solution based on a UN Security Council's resolution.

The presidents also spoke of the "further coordination of Russia and Turkey's efforts to ensure the stable functioning of de-escalation zones" in Syria established by Turkey, Iran and Russia last year.

Around 1,400 delegates attended the meeting, as part of a broader push by regime-backer Moscow to consolidate its influence in the Middle East.

 

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Press), 2018