UPDATE - Putin hails Turkish, Iranian presidents' roles in Syria

UPDATES WITH IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S REMARKS

By Diyar Guldogan

SOCHI, Russia (AA) - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed the roles of his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in Syria, acknowledging their support in preventing the Middle Eastern country's disintegration.

"It would not have been possible to end the military process in Syria without the roles of Turkish and Iranian leaders," Putin said.

"With the support of Turkey and Iran, the disintegration of Syria was prevented."

His remarks came before a trilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Putin said Syria was moving towards "new phase of political solution".

He added that an end to the several years-long war in Syria was possible.

Rouhani said the trilateral meeting opens up a "new prospect" to settle the situation in Syria.

He added Iran, Turkey and Russia closely cooperated for the sake of establishing peace and stability in the country.

The Iranian president said Iran was "serious" in its fight against international terrorism and was ready to give support to other countries.

He also reiterated Iranian support for Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, saying there should be no foreign intervention in Syria's internal affairs.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. This led to a military conflict between the Syrian opposition groups and the Assad regime over the war-torn country’s territory.