President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, colleagues and friends, we are delighted to welcome all of you to Sochi, Russia, for consultations on a settlement in Syria.
Before we begin our meeting, I would like to express my condolences for the loss of life when a residential building collapsed in Istanbul on February 6.
Mr President, you visited Moscow only recently. Today we have met in Sochi for the fourth summit meeting of states – guarantors of the Astana process. I am confident that we can give a fresh impetus to normalisation in the Syrian Arab Republic both on the ground and as part of political and diplomatic efforts to launch an intra-Syrian dialogue.
Friends, we have accomplished a great deal together, we have come a long way. All of us know that this was not a straightforward task, and it is not over yet. Not all the goals have been achieved, but if we continue working actively, coordinate our efforts and seek compromises, we will definitely succeed.
Of course, we are glad to have this opportunity to exchange opinions on the overall situation and to discuss the development of our bilateral relations.
I would like to thank you once again for accepting the invitation to come to Russia.
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