Turkish deputy PM eyes solution in Syria for 2018

By Rauf Maltas

SANLIURFA (AA) - Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Sunday that 2018 would be an important year for political solution in Syria.

Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's ordinary district congress in the Ceylanpinar district of southeastern Sanliurfa, Bozdag said Syria it will be a "livable" place after the end of the conflict.

"Hopefully, 2018 will be an important year for finding a political solution to the problem in Syria, because the Sochi summit produced important results," Bozdag stressed.

The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran met on Nov. 22 in Sochi to discuss progress made in the Astana peace talks and changes in de-escalation zones across Syria.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani agreed to hold a Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi.

The recent Astana talks addressed various issues namely the preparation for a Syrian National Dialogue Congress, which is expected to be held in Russia's coastal city of Sochi in the near future.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN officials.