Obama said Russia’s participation in the talks is a sign they could change their stance on Assad in the next few months. Obama said don’t expect a 180 degree turn on Russian strategy within the next several weeks, and America should not have any illusions on ISIS targets being hit by Russia anytime in the coming weeks or near future.
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“If you allege something, you should prove it”, President Erdogan said in response to the accusation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also said last week’s downing of the plane was a “huge mistake”.
Russian Federation has “invested for years now in keeping Assad in power”. Their presence there is predicated on propping him up. “I’m optimistic. I think we’re going to solve it”. Waxing optimistic about a new diplomatic effort in Vienna aimed at a ceasefire in Syria’s civil war, Erdogan said he hoped it would result in “sigh of relief for the entire region”. Still, he conceded the extremist threat that has wrought fear across the Middle East and the West would not be eliminated in the short term.
Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border has not only frayed previously warm ties between Russia and Turkey, but has also put a strain on the peace talks for Syria, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
Russian Federation has announced economic sanctions and advised its citizens not to visit Turkey.
Russia’s imports from Turkey were $3.1 billion in January-September 2015, with Ankara’s turnover of goods with Moscow equalling $18.1 billion (4.6 percent) of all Russian trade.
Mr Obama met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Paris, where they have been attending a climate summit, a week after Turkis hjets shot down a Russian warplane along the Syrian border Mr Obama stressed that United States support for its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally’s security remained steadfast.
“We all have a common enemy, and that is ISIL”, he said.
“I consider somebody who kills hundreds of thousands of his own people illegitimate”, Obama said in reference to Assad. “Slowly we then are able to get everybody’s attention diverted where it needs to be – going after ISIL [another acronym for ISIS] in a serious way”, he said.
“And Turkey, after every bombardment, (is) receiving more and more – tens of thousands of refugees from Syria”, Davutoglu added. “We want peace to prevail at all costs, and we want the peace, which will prevail, to contribute to the peace which will be established in the region at a larger extent”. “No country can ask us to apologise”.
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Erdogan went on to say on November 30 that if the claims prove to be false, Putin should be the one to step down. Russian Federation began airstrikes in Syria on September 30 that it says are focused on IS fighters.
