Russian soldiers display the remains of, what they said was, a drone belonging to rebel fighters and was shot down over the base in the Russian air base in Hmeimim in the northwestern Syrian province of Latakia on August 16, 2018. / AFP / Andrey BORODULIN

Published on: Oct 28, 2018 @ 19:00 – Russian anti-aircraft systems have destroyed several dozen unmanned aerial devices near Syria’s Hmeymim air base during recent months, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a news conference after a meeting with leaders of Turkey, France and Germany in Istanbul.

“Over the past month and a half or two months, our air defense forces have dropped near the base of Hmeymim 50 aircraft,” said the Russian leader.

He pointed out that Russia reserves the right to help the Syrian military liquidate the terrorists in Idlib province in case the provocations continue.

According to Putin, all participants in the meeting of leaders of Russia, Turkey, France and Germany agree that long-term peace in Syria can be achieved only through political and diplomatic measures.

On 27 October, a meeting on the Syrian conflict was held in the Turkish city of Istanbul with the participation of the leaders of Russia, Turkey, France and Germany. They exchanged views on the political situation in Syria and steps to strengthen security and stability with the aim of creating conditions for the return of refugees.

The UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, on Saturday classified as useful and constructive the meeting of leaders of Russia, Turkey, France and Germany in Istanbul.

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“This is not a formal meeting, this is an important summit. The meeting is constructive, it will be very useful, the discussions are very intensive,” RIA Novosti quotes de Mistura.

France is aligned with the United States and the United Kingdom on the Syrian issue and participated in bombings against Syrian government positions earlier this year. Russia and Turkey have been working together in the region and opposing the activities of the United States in the Arab country. Germany, on the other hand, despite alignment with Washington, has backed some actions from Moscow and Ankara to stabilize the situation and create security zones.

On October 17, De Mistura announced that he plans to resign as UN special envoy to the Syrian conflict at the end of November for personal reasons.

In responding to a question on the subject, the special envoy assured that he will continue to carry out his work “until the last day”, as planned.