Leaders vow to secure Syria’s future

ANKARA — The presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran vowed to secure the territorial integrity of Syria during a trilateral summit in Ankara on Wednesday.

The trio also called for “a lasting cease-fire between the conflicting parties” in the talks on the crisis, according to a joint statement released following the summit.

The three countries also stressed their joint determination to speed up efforts to “ensure calm on the ground and protect civilians” after talks on the future of the country.

The leaders went on to urge the international community, particularly the United Nations and its humanitarian agencies, to send additional aid, restore basic infrastructure and help preserve the country’s heritage.

The summit brought together two powers that have been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most forceful supporters, Iran and Russia, and one of his strongest opponents, Turkey.

Cooperation between the rival camps raised hopes of stabilizing Syria after seven years of conflict, in which 500,000 people have been killed and half the population displaced.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters during the joint news conference after the summit that the Islamic State extremist group “retains its destructive potential to attack in different regions across the globe” despite its defeat in Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that the Ankara-led military operation in northern Syria aims to fight the Kurdish militia as it poses a threat to Turkey.

“Turkey will not stop until all regions under the control of the People’s Protection Units (also known as the YPG), including Manbij, are secured,” he said.

Erdogan also expressed Ankara’s readiness to take action in the northern Syrian city of Tal Rifaat along with Russia and Iran to build a peaceful environment.

For his part, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused the United States of trying to use the jihadists of the al-Nusra Front and IS as tools in the region, saying the Syrian conflict has no military resolution.

On Wednesday, the White House said there was no fixed departure date for US troops in Syria, after President Donald Trump expressed eagerness for a quick military withdrawal from the country.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that Trump was “not going to put an arbitrary timeline” on pulling out troops.