By Cansu Dikme, Sibel Ugurlu and Merve Aydogan
ANKARA
The Turkish president on Wednesday said Syria's territorial integrity depends on keeping all terror groups at bay.
“Sustaining Syria’s territorial integrity depends on setting the same distance towards all terror groups,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said following the tripartite summit on Syria.
The summit was held in capital Ankara with the participation of Turkish, Russian, and Iranian presidents.
In a joint news conference, Erdogan said Turkey is taking necessary care to fulfill its responsibilities on de-escalation zones.
"Syria's territorial integrity is sine qua non for us," Erdogan said.
The president pointed out that the Middle East region had paid a heavy price for "subdivisions of those outside Syria" and said those subdivisions "are null and void for us".
About the summit, Erdogan said the leaders have determined steps that will be taken in the coming days to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Mentioning the first tripartite summit in Sochi, Russia, last November, Erdogan said the Ankara summit would be followed by a third summit in Tehran.
"The main aim of the tripartite summits is to rebuild a Syria where peace prevails," he added.
Last year’s Sochi summit discussed progress made in Astana, Kazakhstan, peace talks and changes in the de-escalation zones across Syria.
Emphasizing the resolute stance of guarantor countries on the de-escalation zones in Syria, Erdogan said the Astana peace process was never an alternative to Geneva.
Turkey values Russia, Iran
“We never put the Astana process for Syria as an alternative to Geneva.
“We said it is complementary,” the Turkish president said.
About a result-oriented approach to the issue in Syria, Erdogan said: “We will take steps, we will find the result wherever it is, because we have to achieve results, and have no toleration for lingering [in Syria].”
On Syria’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, Erdogan said: “The losers of the crises and conflicts are the Syrian people; we all know very well who the winners are.”
"We invested $31 billion with the help of our nongovernmental organizations," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey was taking care of 160,000 Syrians who returned to their homes in Jarablus, Al-Rai and Al-Bab.
Erdogan criticized the European Union for not keeping its promise to pay €3 billion euros ($3.69 billion) in aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey.
“However, we will continue our investments here whether we receive it or not, as we feel obligated to do so.”
He also proposed building houses in safe zones in northern Syria.
"I made this proposal to the international community before... I propose building houses in safe zones on our side and in northern Syria. Let's rescue these [Syrian refugees] from container cities and make those areas safer for them," Erdogan said.
Underscoring the human tragedy in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, the president said: “We, in efforts to take steps towards the wounded coming from Eastern Ghouta, want to immediately build a field hospital there via cooperation between our armed forces and Russian armed forces, and provide first aid to those injured.
"Turkey values solidarity with Russia and Iran over our Afrin operation."
Rouhani urges Syria's unity
He added that grounds for peace in Syria’s Afrin region would be established in cooperation with intelligence agencies, army chiefs and ministers of the three countries.
Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, northwestern Syria on Jan. 20 in the face of growing YPG/PKK terrorist threats from the region.
He expressed Turkey's readiness to take action in the northern Syrian city of Tal Rifaat along with Russia and Iran to build a peaceful environment for its residents.
"I find it useful to repeat it here once again that we [Turkey] will not stop until all regions under PYD/PKK control, primarily Manbij, are secured… We will never allow either Syria or our region to be attacked by a few terrorist groups."
“No understanding that fails to accept that Daesh and PYD/YPG serve the same aim can ever contribute to lasting peace and stability in Syria,” Erdogan said, adding that initially a path for Daesh was paved in efforts to sow chaos, then later the YPG/PYD was installed in Syria using counter-terrorism efforts as an excuse.
“That way the terror-cycle was completed,” he said.
Erdogan called on the international community to back a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
"We call on the international community once again to support efforts to reach a fair and practicable political solution to the Syrian issue.”
Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said: "We want everybody to recognize the unity of Syria.
“We particularly emphasize that everybody should take Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty into consideration.
“No country has the right to decide the future of Syria. It concerns only the Syrian people and belongs to them.”
Putin on Syrian territories
Saying the primary aim of Turkey, Iran and Russia is restoring peace and security in the region, Rouhani said the three want to expand aid to oppressed Syrians.
Rouhani also emphasized the leading role of the three countries in counter-terrorism activities in Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "The joint decision of Turkey, Russia and Iran is to ensure Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty."
He added the three leaders discussed how to establish permanent normalization in Syria.
Describing the joint decision as "a principle attitude," Putin said for years, certain circles had been fueling sectarian and ethnic conflicts in the Middle East.
Putin said the three leaders had agreed to continue the tripartite cooperation.
He underlined that violence in Syria had been reduced considerably as a result of cooperation of Turkey, Russia, and Iran as guarantor countries, adding that Daesh’s main terrorist forces in Syria were defeated and the military forces of other terror groups were destroyed.
Backing Erdogan's call for imminent humanitarian aid in Syria, Putin said Iran’s president also supports the proposal.
"We will work on that and take concrete steps," he said.
He pointed out Russian efforts to develop Syria's social and economic infrastructure.
"Russian companies are developing some projects in areas once occupied by the terrorists ... who were trying to damage our efforts to enhance the peace process in the region."
