Merkel plans to meet Macron, Putin, Erdogan on Syria next month
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The leaders of Germany, France, Turkey, and Russia plan to have a joint meeting next month to discuss the Syrian conflict.
"We are in favour of a four-way meeting with the presidents of Turkey, Russia, and France and myself because the situation [in Syria] is still fragile," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a press conference on Friday alongside Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The meeting will likely be sometime in October, she added, saying they are urgently needed in light of the situation in Idlib.
Merkel has said that Germany should do more to bring an end to the Syrian conflict.
“This conflict has become a conflict of regional interests, a conflict of religions… and that’s why today’s award reminds me and many other European leaders that we should be more involved in solving this conflict,” she said in May when accepting the ‘Lamp of Peace’ award from Franciscan monks, Reuters reported.
Germany is a partner in the 79-member Global Coalition to fight ISIS. It has trained and militarily supported Iraqi and Peshmerga forces. In Syria, it has pledged $5.2 billion for humanitarian aid and long term stabilization.
Germany did not participate in military strikes by US, French, and British forces on Syrian military targets in April after a chemical weapons attack by Damascus. Merkel has personally expressed support for “necessary and appropriate” measures to deter the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons and told the parliament this month that Germany cannot “simply say ‘No’,” and reject military intervention in every case.
She also condemned Turkey’s military operation against the Kurdish enclave of Afrin earlier this year.
“Despite all the legitimate security interests Turkey has, it is unacceptable what is happening in Afrin, where thousands and thousands of civilians are being persecuted, dying, or forced to flee,” she told the German parliament in March.
Berlin halted talks with Turkey over upgrading its tank fleet after German-made Leopard tanks were seen participating in the offensive.
France has taken an active military role on the ground in northern Syria. French firepower is currently helping the Kurdish-led SDF operation against the final ISIS stronghold in the Euphrates River valley.
Stepping up French engagement in Syria and defending the decision to take party in US-led strikes against the regime in April, Macron said their action was not a declaration of war against Bashar al-Assad, but a signal that the use of chemical weapons will not go unpunished.
He has lobbied US President Donald Trump to stay in Syria for the long term, trying to persuade the US from pulling out of the country anytime soon.
Over the summer, Macron’s position on Assad shifted from warning Syria would be a failed state if Assad were forcibly removed to saying it would be a “grotesque error” for him to stay in power.
France has historic ties with the Kurds and just this week at the United Nations, Macron conceded, “we have to recognize the implication and the role of the Kurds in the fight against ISIS. This is the reality.”
He recognized that one of the biggest challenges facing the north of Syria is recognizing Turkey’s interests with respect to the Kurds. But he thinks a solution that satisfies all sides is possible.
Macron said he favours a “constitutional and political solution where all the different components of the Syrian people will be represented.”
He has pressed Putin for more robust peace talks via the UN-led Geneva process and the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in Sochi at the start of this year.
Russia and Turkey are leading power brokers in Syria – as sometimes partners and sometimes foes. Together with Iran they established the Astana process to introduce and monitor regional ceasefires. But Russia has been propping up Damascus for years and Turkey is the main backer of what remains of the rebel forces.
This month Erdogan and Putin agreed on a plan that staved off a regime assault on Idlib, at least for now.
More than 360,000 Syrians have died and millions have been displaced in the conflict that has raged since 2011.
"We are in favour of a four-way meeting with the presidents of Turkey, Russia, and France and myself because the situation [in Syria] is still fragile," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a press conference on Friday alongside Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The meeting will likely be sometime in October, she added, saying they are urgently needed in light of the situation in Idlib.
Merkel has said that Germany should do more to bring an end to the Syrian conflict.
“This conflict has become a conflict of regional interests, a conflict of religions… and that’s why today’s award reminds me and many other European leaders that we should be more involved in solving this conflict,” she said in May when accepting the ‘Lamp of Peace’ award from Franciscan monks, Reuters reported.
Germany is a partner in the 79-member Global Coalition to fight ISIS. It has trained and militarily supported Iraqi and Peshmerga forces. In Syria, it has pledged $5.2 billion for humanitarian aid and long term stabilization.
Germany did not participate in military strikes by US, French, and British forces on Syrian military targets in April after a chemical weapons attack by Damascus. Merkel has personally expressed support for “necessary and appropriate” measures to deter the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons and told the parliament this month that Germany cannot “simply say ‘No’,” and reject military intervention in every case.
She also condemned Turkey’s military operation against the Kurdish enclave of Afrin earlier this year.
“Despite all the legitimate security interests Turkey has, it is unacceptable what is happening in Afrin, where thousands and thousands of civilians are being persecuted, dying, or forced to flee,” she told the German parliament in March.
Berlin halted talks with Turkey over upgrading its tank fleet after German-made Leopard tanks were seen participating in the offensive.
France has taken an active military role on the ground in northern Syria. French firepower is currently helping the Kurdish-led SDF operation against the final ISIS stronghold in the Euphrates River valley.
Stepping up French engagement in Syria and defending the decision to take party in US-led strikes against the regime in April, Macron said their action was not a declaration of war against Bashar al-Assad, but a signal that the use of chemical weapons will not go unpunished.
He has lobbied US President Donald Trump to stay in Syria for the long term, trying to persuade the US from pulling out of the country anytime soon.
Over the summer, Macron’s position on Assad shifted from warning Syria would be a failed state if Assad were forcibly removed to saying it would be a “grotesque error” for him to stay in power.
France has historic ties with the Kurds and just this week at the United Nations, Macron conceded, “we have to recognize the implication and the role of the Kurds in the fight against ISIS. This is the reality.”
He recognized that one of the biggest challenges facing the north of Syria is recognizing Turkey’s interests with respect to the Kurds. But he thinks a solution that satisfies all sides is possible.
Macron said he favours a “constitutional and political solution where all the different components of the Syrian people will be represented.”
He has pressed Putin for more robust peace talks via the UN-led Geneva process and the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in Sochi at the start of this year.
Russia and Turkey are leading power brokers in Syria – as sometimes partners and sometimes foes. Together with Iran they established the Astana process to introduce and monitor regional ceasefires. But Russia has been propping up Damascus for years and Turkey is the main backer of what remains of the rebel forces.
This month Erdogan and Putin agreed on a plan that staved off a regime assault on Idlib, at least for now.
More than 360,000 Syrians have died and millions have been displaced in the conflict that has raged since 2011.