Istanbul summit urges new constitution, polls in Syria

By Sorwar Alam and Cansu Dikme

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey, Russia, Germany and France in a joint statement on Saturday called for a constitutional committee on Syria for free and fair elections in the war-torn nation.

The statement was released following a Syria summit in Istanbul with the attendance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The leaders “expressed their support for an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that is facilitated by the United Nations,” according to the statement.

They called for establishing and early convening of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva by end of the year, to achieve constitutional reform, paving the way for free and fair elections under UN supervision and in compliance with the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora.

The leaders also expressed their firm conviction against any “military solution” to the ongoing conflict in Syria, underlining the conflict could be resolved “only through a negotiated political process in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254".

They emphasized “the importance of increased coordination among all international initiatives which aim at contributing to a credible and sustainable solution” to the Syrian crisis.

“The importance of implementing confidence-building measures to contribute to the viability of the political process and a lasting cease-fire” was also underlined in the joint statement.

Turkey and Russia, guarantor countries of the Astana peace process and the Idlib demilitarized zone deal, along with two heavyweights in the European Union also “reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”