Ankara trilateral summit raises questions on Syria's future

A trilateral Russian-Iranian-Turkish summit was held in Ankara on September 16 on regional and international developments, as well as on developments in Idlib and northern Syria.

The summit was important because it came hard on the heels of a number of developments, both inside and outside Syria.

The Syrian army has succeeded in recapturing a number of areas inside Idlib. There are also calls for allowing Syria back into the Arab League.

Intertwined

This was the fifth summit between the leaders of the three states, which sponsor the Astana process. The first summit was held in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi in November 2017. 

A meeting of the three states is important, given their different agendas in Syria. Russia and Iran back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey, for its part, calls for removing the Syrian president from power.

With Assad strengthening his grip on one Syrian territory after another, Turkey's main concern has shifted to preventing more Syrian refugees from entering his country, especially from the northwestern city of Idlib.

Among the issues on the agenda of the summit between the leaders of the three states was also the voluntary return of Syrian refugees in Turkey to their country. The three leaders also discussed the possibility of a lasting political settlement in Syria.

Arab League

The summit was held a short time after calls were made for giving the Syrian government Syria's seat in the Arab League yet again.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry revealed on September 11 the presence of consultations among Arab states to return Syria to the pan-Arab organization.

He said these consultations would go hand in hand with a political process in the war-torn Arab state.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Naif al-Dulaimi called for allowing Syria back into the league. The delegations of Yemen and Libya also called for starting a dialogue aiming at bringing stability back to Syria.

These calls reflect the presence of an Arab consensus on the progress taking place in Syria. They also attest to the presence of an Arab desire for countering the growing influence of both Iran and Turkey inside the Arab country.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had previously reopened their embassies in Damascus. Saudi Arabia also said it would take part in Syria's reconstruction.