The work on the settlement in Syria, carried out by Russia together with Iran and Turkey, shows its effectiveness - the hotbed of international terrorism there has actually been eliminated, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday at a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which was held via a video conference.
Putin stressed that Russia continues to make active efforts to "promote a long-term settlement in the Syrian Republic and restore its sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity."
"In this regard, we should also note the effective work carried out within the framework of the Astana format with the participation of our partners from Iran and Turkey," the Russian leader said. "Through joint efforts, we have achieved a lot: the hotbed of international terrorism in Syria has actually been eliminated."
In addition, according to Putin, in Syria, "the level of violence has been significantly reduced, peaceful life is being established, and an inclusive political process is being conducted under the auspices of the United Nations."
Return of refugees to Syria
The advent of peace in most of Syria creates conditions for the mass return of refugees, Putin said.
"Now that peace and calm have come to most of the territory of Syria, there is a good opportunity to ensure the mass return of refugees home," the Russian head of state said.
Putin stressed the importance of this process "going naturally, without coercion." "Every Syrian should make a decision on their own, having received reliable information about the state of affairs in their homeland, including the steps taken by you, Mr. President, the Syrian leadership to establish peaceful life," the Russian leader summed up, referring to Bashar al - Assad.
Putin said that more than 6.5 million refugees remain outside of Syria, most of them could participate in the reconstruction of the country.
According to the Russian leader, "the task of post-conflict reconstruction of Syria, and, first of all, the return of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons to their homeland, is of fundamental importance at this stage."
"Today, unfortunately, there are more than six and a half million refugees outside of Syria," Putin said. "The vast majority of them are able-bodied citizens who could and should participate in the reconstruction of their country."
As the President of Russia noted, the return of refugees also meets the internal interests of the host states, especially the neighbors of Syria, since the burden on them is "quite serious". "They have to bear significant expenses for temporary accommodation and provision of Syrians," Putin explained. "Not to mention the fact that young refugees often fall under the influence of radical elements, join the ranks of militants and can pose a threat to the host countries."
He recalled that back in 2018, he appealed to the international community to support the process of returning Syrian refugees to their homeland initiated by the government and the President of Syria. "At the same time, we agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in this area, in particular, interdepartmental coordination headquarters were formed," the Russian leader addressed al-Assad.
Putin added that in Syria itself, measures are still being taken to improve living and working conditions, and various restrictions on "political, social, and psychological aspects" are being lifted. The efforts made are yielding results, he stressed. "More than 850,000 Syrian citizens have returned from abroad, and more than 1.3 million people have returned to their places of permanent residence inside the country," Putin said. - "This is, of course, your merit, Mr. President. This is generally good. But the scale of the humanitarian disaster - and there is no other way to describe it - is still very significant."
Conference on refugees in Damascus
The international conference on refugees and internally displaced persons, which will be held in Damascus on November 11 and 12, will activate the process of a mass return of people to their homeland, the Russian President expects. "We hope that the conference will be effective, will allow us to activate the process of a mass return of refugees and thus will contribute to achieving long - term normalization in Syria," Putin said.
He noted that the event is aimed at establishing a natural process of returning refugees. "Russia fully supports this event and actively helps in its preparation and holding. Representatives of many states, as well as the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, confirmed their participation," the Russian leader added.
According to him, the Russian delegation will be one of the most numerous, it will include specialists from more than 30 ministries and departments. In addition to actively participating in the forum, they plan to hold contacts with their Syrian colleagues to discuss the most pressing issues of bilateral cooperation. In addition, the event will coincide with the transfer of more than 65 tons of humanitarian cargo to Syria, Putin said.
"I hope that success will be ensured. We, in any case, Mr. President, will strive for this in every possible way, " the Russian leader addressed Bashar al-Assad.
Issues of bilateral relations
Putin suggested that al-Assad discuss bilateral relations, among other things. Concluding the open part of the conversation, which was devoted, in particular, to the upcoming international conference on refugees in Damascus, the Russian leader suggested further discussing some details related to the organization of this event.
"And maybe a few words about our bilateral relations," Putin added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS