2LT International News

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Russia and Germany have joined with Turkey and France in a bid to bring peace to Syria.

An historic meeting took place on Saturday involving French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian Vladimir Putin, after which the four countries said in a joint statement they were committed to working together to end the debilitating 7-year civil war in Syria, and bring about a sustainable ceasefire in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib.

The pact also supported the creation of a buffer zone around the north-western province, as proposed by Turkey and Russia last month.

The war in Syria, which began in 2011, has devastated the country, and resulted in the deaths of more than 360,000 people and the wounding and displacement of millions more.

The four countries want to see a new post-war constitution for the country drawn up, “paving the way for free and fair elections,” a “safe and voluntary return of refugees to Syria,” and a commitment to fight terrorism throughout the country.

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

“We rely on Russia to exercise very clear pressure on the regime which depends on it for survival,” French President Macron said separately after the summit.

“The challenge is to end two wars: The war against terror and the war of the regime against large parts of its own population,” German Chancellor Merkel said. “A solution cannot happen through military means but only through political negotiations under the leadership of the United Nations.”

“We must advance with the political process at the end of which there must be free elections open to all Syrians, including those in the diaspora,” Merkel added.