November
11, 2017
President
Trump and President Putin today, meeting on the margins
of the APEC conference in Danang, Vietnam, confirmed their
determination to defeat ISIS in Syria. They expressed their
satisfaction with successful US-Russia enhanced de-confliction efforts between
US and Russian military professionals that have dramatically accelerated
ISIS’s losses on the battlefield in recent months.
The Presidents agreed to maintain open military channels
of communication between military professionals to help ensure
the safety of both US and Russian forces and de-confliction
of partnered forces engaged in the fight against ISIS. They
confirmed these efforts will be continued until the final defeat
of ISIS is achieved.
The Presidents
agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict
in Syria. They confirmed that the ultimate political solution
to the conflict must be forged through the Geneva process
pursuant to UNSCR 2254. They also took note of President Assad’s
recent commitment to the Geneva process and constitutional
reform and elections as called for under UNSCR 2254.
The two Presidents affirmed that these steps must include full
implementation of UNSCR 2254, including constitutional reform
and free and fair elections under UN supervision, held
to the highest international standards of transparency, with all
Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible
to participate. The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria’s
sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian
character, as defined in UNSCR 2254, and urged all Syrian
parties to participate actively in the Geneva political process
and to support efforts to ensure its success.
Finally
President Trump and President Putin confirmed the importance
of de-escalation areas as an interim step to reduce
violence in Syria, enforce ceasefire agreements, facilitate unhindered
humanitarian access, and set the conditions for the ultimate
political solution to the conflict. They reviewed progress
on the ceasefire in southwest Syria that was finalized
the last time the two Presidents met in Hamburg, Germany
on July 7, 2017. The two presidents, today, welcomed
the Memorandum of Principles concluded in Amman, Jordan,
on November 8, 2017, between the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan, the Russian Federation, and the United States
of America. This Memorandum reinforces the success
of the ceasefire initiative, to include the reduction, and ultimate
elimination of foreign forces and foreign fighters from the area
to ensure a more sustainable peace. Monitoring this ceasefire
arrangement will continue to take place through the Amman Monitoring
Center, with participation by expert teams from the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan, the Russian Federation, and the United States.
The two
Presidents discussed the ongoing need to reduce human suffering
in Syria and called on all UN member states to increase
their contributions to address these humanitarian needs over
the coming months.
Vietnam,
Danang, November 10, 2017
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