MOSCOW, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the breakdown of Syria has been prevented, and that the stage has now been set for a possible transition to political settlement in the war-torn country.
He made the remarks while the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey held a trilateral summit in the Russian city of Sochi, discussing the current situation and the future of Syria.
"Large-scale military operations against terrorist gangs in Syria are coming to an end. I should note that thanks to the efforts of Russia, Iran and Turkey, it was possible to prevent the disintegration of Syria and conquest by international terrorists, as well as to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe," Putin said at the summit.
"It can be stated with certainty that we have reached a new stage that opens the door to a real political settlement process," he said.
The fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria will possibly be over by the end of the year and Russia may be able to withdraw its air forces, Frants Klintsevich, first deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Defense and Security committee, said Tuesday.
The armed conflict in Syria broke out in 2011 and Russia started to participate in the anti-terrorist operations in Syria in September 2015.
