Russia, Iran and Turkey Are Committed to Peace in Syria - US/EU Have Been Completely Sidelined
On April 3-4, President Putin held talks in Ankara with the leaders of Turkey and Iran, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani, respectively. This was a trilateral summit of the guarantor countries of the peace settlement in Syria. The idea is to consider and harmonize the interests of the region's countries.
Our political observer Pavel Zarubin is reporting from Turkey.
Even in early April, planes with Russian tourists land in Antalya International Airport one after another. And in the summer there will be flights from 50 Russian cities.
- How are you?
Tourists: “Excellent! We've arrived in summer!”
Those who fly back home say that after the summer when Russians didn't arrive, the Turks were happy to see them like never before.
Tourists: "They missed us and were concerned for us. We all got a nice tan".
For Russians, the sea is already warm. Hotels are almost done preparing for the peak season. "All-inclusive" also includes an open-air museum of Russian cars.
Azir Dincher, hotel owner: "There's no tourism without Russians in Antalya".
Turkish officials say the country's half-century dream would have never come true without the Russians either: the construction of the first nuclear power plant. Upon arriving in Ankara, Vladimir Putin is welcomed with special ceremonies.
The visit is official and it doesn't usually call for such a ceremony, but the Turkish side insisted on it. Turkish musicians play the couplets and refrains of the Russian anthem three times. The Russian President addresses the honor guard in Turkish, saying: "Hello, soldiers!"
The delegation comprises of almost all the key ministers from both sides. Dozens of handshakes. Putin was in Ankara just four months ago. And now it's a big two-day visit. Drones are flocking in the air. It's a live, nationwide broadcast. This is where the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will be in a few years, its completion will be timed to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey.
Vladimir Putin: "We'll do our best to be present at the launch of the new nuclear power plant in 2023. I am sure that people who live in this region of Turkey will be satisfied, they will see state-of-the-art, modern technology, they will see new, modern, well-paying jobs. I congratulate you on breaking new ground".
A wind orchestra is playing in front of the presidential palace. The atmosphere is especially festive. We can hear Kalinka. Presidents Putin and Erdogan break ground on the first Turkish nuclear power plant.
- In what way is it beneficial to Russia?
Alexander Novak, Russian Minister of Energy: "Of course, this increases orders from our nuclear power engineering enterprises".
The quick construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline proves Russia's leading role in the gas industry.
Alexey Miller, Gazprom CEO: "1,047 km of 2 strings have been constructed. 55% of the pipeline runs through the bottom of the sea".
Protocol officers tried to create a warm atmosphere for the talks between Putin and Erdogan. Everyone was treated with tea. The heads of major companies practically lined up as they waited for the presidents. First, the leaders went to the balcony. Erdogan spoke about the changes he wants to make to his residence.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: “I want to expand this territory.
Vladimir Putin: "Yeah, good idea. You'll be able to host some events there".
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: "Do you like the view?"
The Western media writes about the major changes in geopolitics: Turkey is a member of NATO, but its relations with the Alliance are degrading. Washington demanded that Turkey not buy S-400 systems from Russia. But Turkey not only ignored this harsh criticism, but also asked Russia to speed up deliveries.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkish Foreign Minister: "I can understand how some NATO members feel, but they should respect agreements made by two sovereign states".
However, those NATO members obviously aren't used to respecting someone else's decisions. So, a logical question arises if Russia and Turkey will complete their joint plans on the S-400 purchase and the gas pipeline and nuclear power plant construction.
- Given the negative and even confrontational agenda regarding Russia, do you see any factors that can hinder the implementation of these plans?
Vladimir Putin: "There are no such factors in our relations with Turkey. On the contrary, our bilateral relations are developing highly constructively. Negotiations with our European partners regarding the second line of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline have been underway for years. I hope these negotiations will produce a positive result, but we are still in talks, whereas a similar project with Turkey will be completed soon".
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: "The agreement on the S-400 is concluded, now the systems are being produced. We even managed to accelerate the deliveries to our country".
Vladimir Putin: "We have accelerated the manufacturing of the systems and agreed on the price, which is very important".
The meeting between Putin and Erdogan is on the front pages of Turkey's leading newspapers. Turkey's tourism industry isn't the only one that's happy about the improvement of bilateral relations. In this college, 250 small Turkish citizens study Russian. Many parents are sure that, besides English, their children must know the language of the country that has so much in common with Turkey.
The teacher: "What's the biggest country in the world?"
A student: "Russia!"
The name 'Emelya' is written in Turkish. The college is showing a Russian fairy tale today.
Emelya: "Oh, what's this?!"
The Pike: "I'm the Magic Pike. Emelya, please release me".
Russia and Turkey have declared 2019 the Year of Culture and Tourism. Clearly, on the Russian president's first day in Ankara, the presidents discussed not only bilateral relations but also Syria. A trilateral summit involving Iran's president was scheduled for the following day.
Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces: "We've sorted out a number of issues. It looks good".
- So, you've reached an agreement on the issues, right?
- "We've discussed it with the Turkish side. Tomorrow it'll be all three of us".
- What do you think are the best results of the summit?
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister: "That's probably not the most appropriate question. Let's wait for the outcome. You'll assess it, it's not very pleasant to assess our own work".
The top Western outlets' take on this is worth quoting.
Washington Post: "The leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey met for high-level talks on ending the Syrian war, cementing their influence on the outcome of the conflict and isolating the United States from the region’s most crucial diplomacy".
The presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran meet again. It's the second summit on Syria. Every shot is important. The handshake followed hard work behind closed doors. But our film crew managed to see something. The Russian Foreign Minister touches the Turkish Foreign Minister on the arm as he discusses some details with him privately.
It's fundamentally important that the presidents of Russia, Iran, and Turkey reconfirmed the territorial integrity of Syria.
Vladimir Putin: "This position of principle is much needed today, considering the growing number of attempts to deepen the ethnic and religious differences in Syrian society in order to break up the country and to preserve the conflict potential of the Middle East for years to come. They will not stop at anything. We have irrefutable proof that militants were preparing to use toxic agents as a pretense for escalation".
During the summit, contradictory pieces of news came from Washington, one after another. Trump said he wanted to withdraw US troops from Syria as soon as possible, then said that they would have to stay for awhile, and the Pentagon announced its desire to commit even more troops there. Here's what Erdogan and Rouhani said about it.
Hassan Rouhani: "The Americans say one thing today and another tomorrow. At first, they said they would leave Syria and then they said they would like to receive more money and demanded that other countries pay them to stay longer. We understand they want to milk some states in order to stay longer in the country".
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: "My dear brother Rouhani does not mention the amount – seven trillion dollars. Can you imagine? It is necessary to return this money to the region. If this money is raised – the process will obviously be facilitated".
Handelsblatt: "The fact that Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara sometimes have absolutely different interests in Syria and the rest of the world, is secondary. What signals the handshake of Erdogan, Rouhani, and Putin is more important: 'Look, Europeans and Americans, we don't need you!'"
In the joint statement, the three presidents announced their resolve to step up efforts in Syria, as the document puts it, "to settle the situation on the ground." The only solution to the problems is a political settlement. Everyone understands that much is still to be done, so another summit like this will be needed.
Pavel Zarubin, Andrei Melnikov, Dmitry Yarmolenko, Elena Menshikova, Aitadzh Jarchiveva, and Vladimir Ozerov for Vesti — News of the Week from Turkey.