THE presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran vowed to “speed up efforts to ensure calm on the ground” in Syria at a summit in Ankara today.

The three powers said they would “protect civilians in de-escalation areas” and said the country’s seven-year war would only be ended “through a negotiated political process.”

They also said they would respect Syria’s territorial integrity — though Turkey’s invasion of Afrin canton to fight the Kurdish socialist YPG, which it does not distinguish from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) battling for Kurdish rights in Turkey itself, was carried out in defiance of protests from Damascus.

Russia and Iran have backed the Bashar al-Assad government in the conflict against jihadist groups, some backed by Saudi Arabia, the US and other outside sponsors, but Turkey has been committed to the “Islamic revolution” in the country — which it backed with munitions and chemical weapons supplied to Syrian rebels.

Opposition to Kurdish forces working in alliance with the United States have prompted it to work more closely with Moscow.