Foreign ministers will also reaffirm Syria’s commitment to ‘sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity’.
Turkey, Russia and Qatar are making a concerted effort to promote a political solution to Syria’s 10-year conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
“Today we launched a new three-way consultation process,” Cavusoglu said Thursday after talks in Doha with Russian and Qatari foreign ministers. “Our aim is to discuss how we can contribute to efforts towards a lasting political solution in Syria. “
The three ministers emphasized in their meeting that the only solution to the conflict, in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions displaced, was not a military solution, but a political settlement in accordance with the resolutions of the Nations. United, he said.
In a joint statement after the talks, ministers reaffirmed their commitment to developing “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity” in Syria.
Turkey and Qatar have supported militants trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Moscow has provided military support that has helped al-Assad to conquer most of the country. recapture.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the three countries had not tried efforts made by Turkey, Russia and Iran since 2017 to reduce fighting in Syria and consider a political solution.
“I can only welcome Qatar’s desire to increase the conditions for overcoming the current attractive situation in Syria,” he said.
Syrian suffering
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ministers had also considered ways to deliver humanitarian aid throughout Syria, saying “there is an important need to reduce Syrian suffering”.
He said the reasons for Syria’s ban from the Arab League in 2011 remain, while Cavusoglu said recent international relations with the al-Assad government had hampered efforts for a political solution by taking more legitimacy for it.
In their nine-point joint statement, ministers urged UN agencies and the World Health Organization to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines within Syria and “boost” efforts to deliver humanitarian aid.
Cavusoglu said Turkey would host the next round of talks.