Moscow / Istanbul, July 1 Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish and Iranian counterparts on Wednesday that the Syrian civil war requires peaceful dialogue between rival powers.
Putin told Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan and Iran's Hassan Rouhani during a televised video conference that Syria's Idlib and other areas are still hot spots for terrorism.
"A comprehensive inter-Syrian dialogue should be actively promoted within the framework of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva. I propose to support this process, meet with participants and help initiate direct dialogue," Putin said.
Russia and Iran are the main foreign backers of President Bashar al-Assad's army during Syria's nine-year war, while Turkey supports opposition fighters. By 2017, during the diplomatic process, they had agreed to work to reduce the conflict.
The joint statement issued by the Kremlin, Russia, Turkey, and Iran expresses "belief" that there is no military solution to the war in Syria and that it must be resolved only through a political process.
He welcomed the Syria Constitutional Committee meeting in August.
In addition to the Syria issue, the document states that the three countries have agreed to increase their economic cooperation.
Nearly one million people have been left homeless after the violence intensified, with Turkey and Russia agreeing to avert hostility in the Idlib region of northwestern Syria in March. Earlier this month, military rebels bombed rebel-held areas.
Erdogan said at the video conference that Syria's priority is a permanent solution to the conflict "to secure peace in the region and the security of Syria's political unity and territorial integrity."
"We will continue to do all we can to ensure that our neighboring Syria will soon find peace, security, and stability," he said.
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