ANKARA, December 1. /TASS/. Russia cannot directly influence political processes in Syria but Moscow is trying to do that, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdigan in Ankara.
Russia thinks it is up to the Syrian people to decide if Syrian President Bashar Assad stays in power, Putin stressed. Assad enjoys popular support, the Russian president noted.
Turkish President Erdogan says his vision of situation in Syria differs from Putin’s. However, Turkey and Russia have common approaches to fighting against Islamic State and terrorism.
Putin said he shares Erdogan's commitment to prevent chaos in Syria and find a solution that will be acceptable for all Syria’s political forces.
“We share the opinion that the situation in Syria cannot be considered normal. We share the opinion that we want to prevent chaos on that territory, we do not want terrorist organizations to gain more strength as it is in Iraq, where almost 40% of the territory has been seized by a terrorist organization. No one wants this. The problem is how to create conditions for all the people living in that country to feel safe, to have equal access to governing the country and to cooperate. We obviously must find a solution acceptable for the Syrian people and for all political forces in that country. We will stay in contact with all participants in this process, including our friends in Turkey,” the Russian leader said.