Putin calls on Europe to help rebuild Syria

BERLIN - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called on Europe to financially contribute to the reconstruction of Syria to allow millions of refugees to return home.

"We need to strengthen the humanitarian effort in the Syrian conflict," he said ahead of a meeting with his German counterpart Angela Merkel at the government retreat of Meseberg castle 70 kilometers north of Berlin.

"By that, I mean above all humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, and help the regions where refugees living abroad can return to."

There are currently one million refugees in Jordan, the same number in Lebanon, and three million in Turkey, Putin said.

Germany has accepted hundreds of thousands of migrants since 2015 - the height of the migration crisis - which has weakened Angela Merkel politically and split the European Union.

"This is potentially a huge burden for Europe," Putin said.

"That's why we have to do everything to get these people back home," he added, emphasizing the need to properly restore basic services such as water supplies and healthcare.

Merkel said the priority in Syria was "to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe", but did not give any further details.

The leaders met to discuss topics ranging from Syria, Ukraine and Iran, as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

The meeting came after Merkel's visit to Sochi in May. Before holding talks at the Schloss Meseberg outside Berlin, the two leaders addressed reporters.

"I am of the opinion that controversial issues can only be addressed in dialogue and through dialogue," Merkel said.

On the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline to transport Russian gas to Germany, Merkel said Ukraine must continue to play a role in the transit of gas to Europe once Nord Stream 2 is in place. She welcomed the start of discussions among the EU, Ukraine, and Russia on the issue.

"I would like to stress that the main thing is that the Ukrainian transit - which is traditional for us - meets economic demands," Putin said, adding that Nord Stream 2 was exclusively an economic project.

The US opposes the pipeline project as they believe that it will increase Germany's dependence on Russia for energy. Ukraine fears the pipeline will allow Russia to cut it off from the gas transit business.

The leaders also discussed the future of the Iran nuclear deal.

Xinhua - Afp

(China Daily 08/20/2018 page12)