Russia, Iran and Turkey came together in a summit in Ankara to discuss the future of Syria. This summit was held in the gardens of an invading force in Syria, and as expected, ended in insolubility.

The summit was held in Turkish capital Ankara on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in a triple summit, which was the second in the last 6 months. The declaration didn’t have any concrete decisions, other than a “resolution” stated regarding “active cooperation for a lasting ceasefire among parties”. And the idea that the next meeting should be held in Tehran.

Iranian President Rouhani made a statement before coming to the summit and, referring to Turkish and American forces, demanded the foreign forces in Syria without permission from the Damascus regime leave the country. Russian President Putin returned from this visit with trade agreements once again. The deal regarding the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant was a concrete example of this.

INVASION AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

The summit was on Syria, and it took place after the Turkish state invaded Afrin. In the press statement after the summit, Erdoğan spoke of the “territorial integrity” of Syria. In the same speech, Erdoğan also stated that they will continue their invasion attacks against Kurds. On one hand, there is the invasion, animosity against Kurds, massacres and ethnic cleansing, and on the other, stresses put on the “territorial integrity” - which were without a doubt words that failed to be convincing for all parties.

The thrust force behind this meeting, Russia, is the most important power that cleared the path for Turkey’s invasion. In his speech given right by an invader, Putin said: “Russia, Turkey and Iran have confirmed their commitment to the territorial integrity of Syria.” A significant portion of Syria from Jarablus to Afrin is under Turkish state invasion.

WHAT KIND OF A SOCHI CONGRESS?

On the matter of a solution, Putin said: “As of today, there is no alternative to the Syrian National Dialogue Congress.” The National Dialogue Congress held in Sochi by late January had ended in a fiasco. This congress had come after Turkey launched the invasion attacks against Afrin on January 20, and the Northern Syrian Federation officials had refused to participate in the congress. It has since become clear that a congress to be organized with a similar logic will not be creating any alternatives in terms of a solution.

LIBERATION: “THREE LEADERS HAND IN HAND AGAINST THE WEST”

So, what was the true outcome of the summit in Ankara? The French newspaper Liberation ran with the title, “Iran, Turkey and Russia united against the West”. The paper said: “Erdoğan, Putin and Rouhani came together in Ankara on Wednesday to discuss a solution in Syria where they impose themselves as the owners of the game. But beyond the opportunistic agreement in the Syrian field, these three forces of the east have strengthened their bonds at a time when all three of them have huge tensions with Western countries.”

LE FIGARO: “NO DEAL”

French Le Figaro newspaper wrote that the more or less only concrete decision to come out of the triple summit has been the declaration of intent for a “lasting ceasefire”. The paper pointed out that the meeting which was supposed to last 4.5 hours including lunch lasted for an hour and forty minutes instead: “Without a doubt this is a sign of the deep divides among the three fundamental actors of the Syrian play.”

ALL THREE COUNTRIES HAVE A ROLE IN THE CRISIS

German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper pointed out that all three powers in the summit have a role in the Syrian crisis: “Rouhani is completely right about his comments that a military solution won’t be the case in Syria. But all three leaders who met in Ankara, and Putin the most, have a role in Syria being so far away from a political solution as well. Putin interrupted the peace plan by the United Nations, which aimed to end the conflicts and commit to a political process, with the Sochi and Astana conferences that Iran and Turkey also attended. At the same time, Bashar Al Assad does not seem willing to talk with his opponents at all. Assad’s march to victory was made possible by those who support him. They don’t care whether there is a democratic regime in Syria. The reasons for the insurgency haven’t disappeared, by the way. The victorious congratulating each other in Ankara have a responsibility in that as well.”

COULDN’T COME TO A CONSENSUS

Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper concluded that a consensus could not be reached among the leaders in the Syria triple summit in Ankara.

“Turkey, Russia and Iran want a say in Syria, where the civil war continues, but haven’t been able to iron out their disagreements,” said the paper and added: “The most important reason for this is that all actors believe that they can achieve their goals not at the negotiating table but on the battlefield, after seven years of continued war. Turkey’s military intervention in Northern Syria is an example of this. Iran wants Afrin, took over by the Turkish army, to be turned over to the Damascus administration. Ankara has no such intention. In such an atmosphere, political efforts to end the conflict can not have any chance to succeed.”