Media Center

Doha / Information Office / March 11  

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu, and HE the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, affirmed the need to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and alleviate the humanitarian crisis to which the Syrian people is exposed to because of the difficult conditions that is currently going through.

In a joint press conference after the tripartite meeting they held in Doha today, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the Syrian crisis is going through very bad conditions that cause the Syrian people to suffer, especially in light of the repercussions of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

His Excellency added that the tripartite meeting discussed the humanitarian conditions that the Syrian people are exposed to, as well as the need to find ways to deliver humanitarian aid to them quickly, with the three countries affirming at the same time the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Syria, and expressing their conviction in the political solution to the Syrian crisis, and support for this solution in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, in addition to stressing the importance of combating terrorism in all its forms, and ensuring and fulfilling human rights.

His Excellency pointed out that the meeting also confirmed the support of the three countries for the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his envoy to Syria, and the support of the Constitutional Committee, while emphasizing the need to facilitate and increase humanitarian aid for all Syrians throughout the country without discrimination or politicization in order to improve the humanitarian situation and achieve progress in the political settlement process.

His Excellency pointed out that the meeting stressed the necessity of the voluntary and safe return of refugees and displaced persons according to the mechanisms followed for that. The meeting also discussed the importance of cooperation and support initiatives to support confidence between the Syrian parties, in a way that contributes to creating an atmosphere for the success of the process.

His Excellency also affirmed the position of the State of Qatar and its commitment to its humanitarian and moral responsibility, indicating that it has spared no effort since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in providing effective assistance to the brotherly Syrian people, especially in light of the circumstances of the pandemic (Covid-19), which he said is a new crisis added to the Syrian people.

His Excellency looked forward to holding tripartite meetings between the concerned countries periodically through continuous coordination, stressing that such meetings gain great importance in such circumstances, and he also urged envoys from the concerned countries to work continuously to translate the objectives sought from this meeting.

His Excellency expressed his thanks to the foreign ministers of Turkey and Russia for their participation in this meeting.

On Qatar's position on the return of Syria to the Arab League, His Excellency said that there are reasons that necessitated the suspension of Syria's membership in the Arab League, expressing his hope for the progress of a political solution to this crisis.

His Excellency also stressed that the State of Qatar continues to support the Syrian people and reach a political settlement that paves the way for the restoration of relations between the two countries.

His Excellency in response to a question during the press conference, pointed out that it is not necessary for the State of Qatar to have a military presence on Syrian soil, stressing that Syria is a brotherly Arab country and important to the State of Qatar. His Excellency stressed Qatar's firm position in support of the unity of the Syrian territories and supportive of the political solution to the Syrian crisis.

His Excellency noted that the meetings and initiatives of the envoys of the three countries with regard to humanitarian aid and its follow-up by the ministerial meetings will enhance cooperation between the three parties in the interest of the Syrian people.

His Excellency explained that the tripartite meeting followed the political process of the Syrian crisis and supported the Constitutional Committee, stressing the continuation of consultations between the three countries with other concerned parties interested in the Syrian issue.

His Excellency stressed the need to exploit all opportunities for cooperation between Qatar, Turkey and Russia through this tripartite formula, as well as opportunities for cooperation in the humanitarian field, stressing his happiness, in the same context, for Qatar's support for Astana peace process in Syria.

His Excellency also stressed, in response to another question, the strength of the friendly relations between the State of Qatar and the Russian Federation, referring in this context to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in many fields, especially in the field of investments and the presence of large Qatari investments in Russia, His Excellency emphasized that Qatar is looking forward to increasing these investments, noting that there are also Russian companies operating in Qatar.

His Excellency said that Qatar and Russia are looking forward to supporting this cooperation, including in the cultural field, appreciating the great support of the Republic of Russia for the preparations made by the State of Qatar to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals, as well as its support for Al-Ula summit statement and the positive developments taking place in Libya, and the efforts and initiatives to bring peace to Afghanistan and coordination with the State of Qatar in this regard.

His Excellency also indicated that there is coordination and communication between Qatar and Russia regarding the upcoming Moscow meeting regarding the Afghan crisis and the peace process in Afghanistan, stressing that the relationship between the two countries is based on trust.

His Excellency pointed out that there is no competition between Doha and Moscow regarding the Afghan negotiations, indicating that Russia had extended an invitation to the representative of the State of Qatar to attend the Moscow meeting, which confirms Russia's support for the negotiation process on Afghanistan, which also enjoys the support of everyone, especially Russia.

His Excellency stressed the mutual understanding between Qatar and Russia based on several foundations related to this issue, noting the importance of building on it, and said that Qatar will spare no effort to do everything that would achieve peace in Afghanistan.

His Excellency mentioned the international interest in what is happening in Qatar regarding the course of the Afghan crisis between its various parties, and the need to settle it and overcome its challenges in cooperation with partners after the war which continued for more than 40 years.

In this regard, His Excellency praised the efforts of the United States of America and the United Nations and other efforts and initiatives in support of the Doha process.

His Excellency expressed his hope for a speedy political solution to this crisis and an understanding between the Afghan parties in this regard, considering the agreement between the United States of America and the Taliban in Doha as a first and important step on the road to resolving the crisis between its Afghan parties.

For his part, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the tripartite meeting held in Doha today establishes new consultations on the path to achieving peace in Syria, expressing his thanks to the State of Qatar for hosting this meeting, which aims to search for ways to contribute to the efforts aimed at reaching a permanent political solution in Syria.

His Excellency described the conflict in Syria, which has entered its tenth year, as a very bad and negative situation, indicating that the failure to meet the legitimate demands of the Syrian people was a major cause of this conflict.

His Excellency affirmed Turkey's position, which believes that there is no solution to end the conflict in Syria except through a political process based on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, stressing his country's support for all efforts aimed at reaching a political solution based on the principles set by the UN legitimacy.

In this context, His Excellency indicated that Turkey and Russia, as guarantors of Astana process, and are striving to reach this goal, stressing continuing cooperation with the State of Qatar in order to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Syria by finding a political solution to the crisis.

His Excellency indicated that the meeting reviewed the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, and also touched upon the necessity of pressuring the Syrian regime to achieve political gains in light of the current situation, as well as discussing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria with an emphasis on the need to increase efforts for humanitarian aid, especially those related to confronting the Coronavirus outbreak.

His Excellency indicated that millions of Syrians are now living in Turkey, pointing out that the United Nations data and estimates show that there are about 13.4 million Syrians in need of assistance, of whom 5.9 million are in urgent need of housing and shelter, and that there are at least 12.4 million people facing hunger, and it is estimated that there are more than 2.4 million Syrian children who are deprived of education and cannot go to school.

During the conference, His Excellency touched on terrorist organizations such as ISIS, PKK and YPG that carry out terrorist acts, indicating that the tripartite meeting also touched on combating and eliminating these organizations, stressing that Turkey will continue to defend the territorial integrity of Syria, protect civilians, and will continue its fight against terrorist organizations,

His Excellency pointed out that these meetings will be held regularly, as Turkey will host the next meeting, followed by Russia, expressing his confidence that the three friendly countries will work to establish lasting peace in Syria and work to preserve the security of the region.

In response to a question about Syria's return to the Arab League, His Excellency stated that Turkey will certainly not speak on behalf of the Arab League, but it aims to achieve a political solution and if such a solution is found, there will be a permanent solution in the region.

His Excellency added that the Syrian regime, unfortunately, is still continuing its tyranny and committing crimes. It wants the solution to be military, and it does not believe in a political solution, which will not achieve any progress in the peace process in Syria and will not achieve any positive results for the region.

For his part, HE the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov indicated that this meeting, which is the first at the ministerial level, came after several meetings with representatives of the states parties who had paved the ground for the start of this dialogue on the Syrian issue. His Excellency expressed his thanks to the State of Qatar for holding this meeting, looking forward to the success of these efforts in achieving lasting peace in Syria.

His Excellency expressed his satisfaction with the convergence of views on the Syrian issue, stressing the inevitability of a political settlement based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the outcomes of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference that was held on the initiative of the guarantor countries of Astana process.

His Excellency also referred to the Russian vision regarding Syria, stressing the need to respect the territorial integrity and independence of Syria.

His Excellency pointed out that the meeting focused on the need to provide emergency humanitarian aid, especially in light of the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as supporting Syrians in efforts to rebuild civilian infrastructure that had been destroyed by war.

His Excellency said that what impedes finding a solution to these pending issues is the unilateral Western sanctions, which he described as illegal measures against the Syrian authorities and against the Syrian people, stressing that the objectives of Qatar, Turkey and Russia are reflected in the joint statement issued by the meeting, as this statement confirms the three countries keenness to confront terrorism in all its forms and to confront separatist plans that harm the unity of the Syrian territories and threaten the national security of the countries of the region.

His Excellency stated that the meeting also stressed the important role of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, stressing the readiness of the three countries to provide support to this committee in cooperation with Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy to Syria, in order to secure sustainable and effective work on the constitutional path.

His Excellency pointed out that the meeting also dealt with the need to take advantage of the capabilities that the three countries possess in order to make the next session of the Constitutional Committee, which is expected to take place before Ramadan, to succeed, indicating the need for the three countries to participate in international efforts aimed at securing the voluntary and safe return of refugees and displaced Syrians to their places of residence.

His Excellency indicated that the meeting also focused on supporting the joint international initiative related to the release of detainees, as coordination will be made later to achieve this, noting that such tripartite meetings would be a useful addition to the work that Russia, Turkey and Iran are doing within the framework of the Astana process.

In response to a question about the most important issues in the bilateral talks and the Afghan peace negotiations and the Russian call to hold a conference in Moscow and being a parallel call to the Doha meeting to bring peace to Afghanistan, His Excellency indicated that all parties have an interest in completing the Afghan peace talks and making them succeed as soon as possible.

His Excellency indicated that Moscow's invitation is another path like other experiences and efforts to spread democracy as witnessed by Iraq and Syria, indicating that Russia will not compete through this invitation with any country, stressing that Russia supports and follows the Afghan peace process led by Doha.

His Excellency also expressed his belief that there is no positive movement in this regard due to the presence of a number of unresolved issues in achieving the peace process in Afghanistan.

His Excellency expressed his support for the negotiations and the movement of each party to take realistic and positive positions, stressing that this is the goal of the Moscow meeting, by holding a tripartite initiative between Russia, the United States and China with the participation of representatives from Pakistan and extending an invitation to the Afghan parties.

His Excellency pointed out that this framework is not a formal framework in any way nor is it stipulated in any of the international decisions, but the goal is to push the parties through frank dialogue to effective interaction.