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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/aug/18/putin-urges-europe-to-help-rebuild-syria-so-refugees-can-return
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Putin urges Europe to help rebuild Syria so refugees can return | Putin urges Europe to help rebuild Syria so refugees can return |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Europe to contribute to the reconstruction of Syria to allow millions of refugees to return home. | Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Europe to 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 on Saturday, ahead of a meeting with his German counterpart Angela Merkel at the government retreat of Meseberg Palace, north of Berlin. | “We need to strengthen the humanitarian effort in the Syrian conflict,” he said on Saturday, ahead of a meeting with his German counterpart Angela Merkel at the government retreat of Meseberg Palace, north of Berlin. |
| Putin holds winning cards as Syrian war nears Idlib showdown | Putin holds winning cards as Syrian war nears Idlib showdown |
| “By that, I mean above all humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, and help the regions where refugees living abroad can return to.” | “By that, I mean above all humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, and help the regions where refugees living abroad can return to.” |
| There were 1 million refugees in Jordan, the same number in Lebanon, and 3 million in Turkey, Putin said. | There were 1 million refugees in Jordan, the same number in Lebanon, and 3 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. | 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. | “This is potentially a huge burden for Europe,” Putin said. |
| Macron and the west must not play along with Putin’s Syria endgame | Natalie Nougayrède | Macron and the west must not play along with Putin’s Syria endgame | Natalie Nougayrède |
| “That’s why we have to do everything to get these people back home,” he added, emphasising the need to restore basic services such as water supplies and healthcare. | “That’s why we have to do everything to get these people back home,” he added, emphasising the need to 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. | Merkel said the priority in Syria was “to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe”, but did not give any further details. |
| The two leaders are also due to discuss the Ukraine crisis – which “unfortunately does not advance at all”, Putin said. | The two leaders are also due to discuss the Ukraine crisis – which “unfortunately does not advance at all”, Putin said. |
| The Minsk agreements, a peace process sponsored by Germany and France aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine, remained at a standstill, Merkel said, pointing to the absence of a “stable ceasefire”. | The Minsk agreements, a peace process sponsored by Germany and France aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine, remained at a standstill, Merkel said, pointing to the absence of a “stable ceasefire”. |
| A United Nations mission on the ground, which would be discussed during the talks, “could perhaps play a pacifying role” in the region, she said. | A United Nations mission on the ground, which would be discussed during the talks, “could perhaps play a pacifying role” in the region, she said. |
| Earlier, Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas said he was “relatively optimistic about the chances of a United Nations mission”, telling the Die Welt newspaper: “We want to give a new dynamic to the Minsk process.” | Earlier, Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas said he was “relatively optimistic about the chances of a United Nations mission”, telling the Die Welt newspaper: “We want to give a new dynamic to the Minsk process.” |
| Russia is accused by Kiev and Westerners of militarily supporting the separatists in eastern Ukraine, which it denies. | Russia is accused by Kiev and Westerners of militarily supporting the separatists in eastern Ukraine, which it denies. |
| Economic co-operation, particularly over energy, was also billed as a central theme in the discussions. | Economic co-operation, particularly over energy, was also billed as a central theme in the discussions. |
| Russia and Germany are partners in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a project criticised by US President Donald Trump because of to Berlin’s reliance on Moscow. | Russia and Germany are partners in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a project criticised by US President Donald Trump because of to Berlin’s reliance on Moscow. |
| Merkel tells Putin not to exclude Ukraine from gas pipeline route | Merkel tells Putin not to exclude Ukraine from gas pipeline route |
| Ukraine is concerned that the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline from Russia to Germany will transport gas that currently flows through its territory and deprive it of crucial transit fees. | Ukraine is concerned that the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline from Russia to Germany will transport gas that currently flows through its territory and deprive it of crucial transit fees. |
| Russia has shut off gas supplies to Ukraine in the past, with knock-on effects in the European Union. | Russia has shut off gas supplies to Ukraine in the past, with knock-on effects in the European Union. |
| Merkel made it clear that Ukraine should not be cut out, saying: “Ukraine must, in my opinion, play a role in the transit of gas to Europe” even after the start of Nord Stream 2 in 2019. | Merkel made it clear that Ukraine should not be cut out, saying: “Ukraine must, in my opinion, play a role in the transit of gas to Europe” even after the start of Nord Stream 2 in 2019. |
| But Putin defended the project “which addresses the growing demand of the European economy for energy resources”. | But Putin defended the project “which addresses the growing demand of the European economy for energy resources”. |
| He said: “I want to stress here that Nord Stream 2 is only an economic project and it does not close the door to the continuation of gas transit through the territory of Ukraine.” | He said: “I want to stress here that Nord Stream 2 is only an economic project and it does not close the door to the continuation of gas transit through the territory of Ukraine.” |
| Vladimir Putin | Vladimir Putin |
| Russia | Russia |
| Syria | Syria |
| Germany | Germany |
| Ukraine | Ukraine |
| Angela Merkel | Angela Merkel |
| Refugees | Refugees |
| news | news |
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