LONDON: Only the Syrians are authorized to determine the political fate of their country, Vladimir Putin said after a summit with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts on Thursday.

Moscow, Ankara and Tehran see the planned US withdrawal from Syria as a positive step, the Russian president said.
Putin, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran's Hassan Rouhani agreed during the talks that the US pullout from northeastern Syria "would be a positive step that would help stabilise the situation in this region, where ultimately the legitimate government should re-establish control", he told a joint press conference.

Putin is hosting the summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to discuss how to resolve the conflict in Syria as Daesh terrorists made a last stand in the east of the country and Washington prepares to withdraw troops.

Putin added that the success of the political process may lead to the normalization of relations between Damascus and other Arab states. 

Humanitarian aid and the return of refugees are issues that will dominate the talks, the Russian president said.