Iran, Russia and Turkey were unable to overcome their differences at a Tehran summit on Friday as they held talks on an imminent offensive against the last rebel stronghold in Syria, amid warnings from the international community of a looming humanitarian disaster.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly disagreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a press conference in the Iranian capital and warned of a “bloodbath” in Idlib province, where an assault by Syrian government forces is expected any day.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who hosted the meeting, also warned against a “scorched earth” policy, but said “fighting terrorism in Idlib is an unavoidable part of the mission of restoring peace and stability to Syria.”
Russia and Iran are major allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs opposition fighters, including some present in Idlib, who are seeking his ouster.
In front of the world’s press, Erdogan criticised their joint statement for not including the word “truce”, saying it would “strengthen and calm this process.”
Putin retorted that armed opposition groups such as the Islamic State group and al-Nusra front were not present at the talks to offer to uphold any ceasefire.
“We cannot say for them… that they will stop shooting or stop using armed drones,” Putin said. He also insisted Damascus “has a right and must eventually take under control all of its national territory”.
