Putin receives Assad, says still long way to go for complete victory over terrorists

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday received Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to discuss the need to shift from military action to finding a political solution to address Syria’s protracted civil war, the Kremlin reported.

“We still have a long way to go before we achieve complete victory over terrorists. But as far as our joint efforts in fighting terrorism in Syria is concerned, this military operation is indeed wrapping up,” Putin told Assad in a speech broadcasted on Russian-state TV.

“Now the most important thing, of course, is to move on to the political question, and I note with satisfaction, your readiness to work with all those who want peace and a solution (to the conflict),” he said of Assad.

Moscow is seeking to build an international consensus for long-term peace talks, two years after Russia launched a military intervention in Syria which turned the tide of the conflict Assad's favor.

Putin is also expected to meet with the Turkish and Iranian Presidents on Wednesday as they also play a significant role in the Syrian conflict. He mentioned that he would follow up his talks with the Syrian President with phone calls to Donald Trump and other Middle Eastern leaders.

Putin’s peace efforts in Syria include a proposed Congress of Syrian Peoples for all the ethnic groups and warring sides in the country to gather and deliberate.

Previous attempts at peace talks over the Syrian conflict failed as Russia, Iran, and the Lebanese Hezbollah were supporting Assad while the US, Turkey, and the Gulf states supported opponents of Assad.

Sources close to the Kremlin claim that Russia would not insist on Assad staying in power to reach a peace deal as long as the institutions in Syria remain intact.

Editing by Nadia Riva