Russia, Germany, Turkey, France committed to Syria’s territorial integrity

The participants of the four-party summit in Istanbul - Russia, Turkey, Germany and France - are committed to the territorial integrity of Syria, according to a communique released by the German government on Saturday.

The leaders of the four nations "confirmed their commitment to sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic," the document reads.

They are "full of determination to resist separatist plans, aimed at undermining sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as national security of neighboring states."

Besides, the participants of the Istanbul meeting said they were ready to work on creating conditions for the return of refugees and internally displaced persons. This will depend on providing them with "guarantees against armed conflicts, political persecution and unlawful detentions," as well as on rebuilding the country’s infrastructure to make sure that the population has access to water and electricity.

Russia, Germany, Turkey and France "expressed concern about risks and threats to the regional and global security, brought forth by the [Syrian] conflict." The participants of the meeting are "firmly convinced that this conflict cannot be solved by military means, that it should be settled through negotiations within the political framework and in line with [UN Security Council] Resolution 2254."

The presidents of Russia, France and Turkey - Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel - "welcomed the progress in the context of withdrawal of heavy weaponry and radical groups" from the province of Idlib, where Moscow and Ankara have previously agreed to set up a buffer zone. In addition, the statement underline the four leaders’ commitment to the fight against terrorism.