Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan pose before their meeting in Ankara
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on September 28, 2018 in Ankara.
The talks went on behind closed doors. The leaders discussed the situation in Syria and Iraq, the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum as well as the economic cooperation between their two countries. President Putin said that despite all complications, they’d managed to achieve positive results.
The Russian President said that during negotiations both sides had reinforced their commitment to the Syrian de-escalation zones agreement.
“As it is, the necessary requirements to stop the fratricidal war in Syria, to eliminate the terrorists, and to let Syria return to peace have been achieved. This is crucial not only to the Syrian people, not only for the region, but for the whole world,” Putin said.
The ceasefire will take place in central Syria (Hama and Idlib provinces). How exactly is this ceasefire going to be enforced is unclear, as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) is still active in the Hama and Idlib territories.
