Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised various parties involved in the conflict in Syria by launching an idea to form what he described as an “international mechanism” to normalize the situation in Syria after completely eliminating ISIS presence in the country. He said the plan includes forming a working group to ensure the withdrawal of foreign forces and putting arrangements that guarantee the Syrian state fully controls all its territory and maintains the unity of its lands. His comments came one day after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who announced that his talks in Kremlin ended with an agreement to form a working group to remove all foreign forces from Syria. Putin’s remarks showed that his discussions with Netanyahu included broader issues of from the withdrawal of Iranian forces and the armed groups it supports, such as Hezbollah. He talked about launching a plan that includes parties involved in the Syrian conflict and aims to normalize the situation in Syria and establishes mechanisms for final settlement in the country. The idea of forming a working group, Putin told reporters on Thursday, “aims at dealing with the final normalization of the situation after all concerned parties eliminate the last terror stronghold.” He said these parties are topped by the Syrian Arab Republic, its leadership, the opposition, regional countries, and all those involved in this conflict. Putin pointed out that “this is linked, among other things, with the withdrawal of all armed forces from Syrian territory, full restoration of the Syrian state and preservation of the territorial integrity.” He stressed that both parties have always talked about this matter, adding that their stances are fully consistent. “The situation is settled in Syria,” the President noted, adding that there are still some areas controlled by terrorists, but they will be destroyed in the near future.