Iran Press/Iran news: The fourth trilateral meeting between the Iranian, Russian, and Turkish presidents will take place in Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday.
According to an Iran Press report, the three presidents are expected to discuss terrorism in the region, as well as the situation in Syria, the return of Syrian refugees to their homes, the Astana peace negotiations, the situation in Syria's Idlib province, the withdrawal of US military forces from Syria, and Syria's new constitution.
Fighting terrorism, the main goal of Iran, Russia, Turkey
Turning to his trip to Sochi, President Rouhani said the trip takes place at the official invitation of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and that regional security, the fight against terrorism, and the situation in Syria will be discussed in detail. President Rouhani added: "Fighting terrorism is the main goal of Iran, Russia, and Turkey, and we shall pursue this goal until its logical conclusion."
A secondary issue is Syria. If any country has military forces in Syria who have entered the country illegally, and if these forces are not there at the invitation of the Syrian government, then such military forces must leave the country immediately. Such uninvited military forces must not be on Syrian territory.
Safeguarding Syria's territorial integrity is important
President Rouhani added: "Preserving the territorial integrity of Syria is very important from Iran's point of view. The government in Damascus must control every inch of the territory of Syria, and they must speak to Syrian Kurds, who are their compatriots, and they must sort out their differences amongst themselves. No country is allowed to occupy a part of Syria or annex a part of the country. Syria's territorial integrity must not be violated and must be respected by all."
In further comments president Rouhani said: "Under current circumstances, the return of Syrian refugees to their homes and reconstruction of Syria are also very important, and Tehran, Ankara and Moscow are pursuing this aim. Drawing up a new constitution for Syria is also very important and progress on this issue is also being closely followed."
Iranian people will never surrender to major powers
Before leaving Tehran for Sochi, president Rouhani delivered a speech, focusing on Wednesday's terror attack in Sistan-Balouchestan province. President Rouhani expressed his condolences following the martyrdom of a number of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) border guards in Wednesday night's terrorist outrage.
Related news:
27 Martyred, 13 Injured in Terrorist Attack in Southeastern Iran
President Rouhani expressed his condolences to the families of those martyred, to the IRGC and Iran's armed forces, and to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. He pointedly added: "The roots of terrorism in this region are the United States of America and the Zionist regime, and sadly some oil-rich regional states also provide financial and logistic support to various terrorist groups."
Delivering a speech at Mehrabad International Airport, president Rouhani added: "Such cowardly terrorist attacks will never dent the solid resolve of the great Iranian nation who will continue their chosen path undaunted and more determined than ever. The Iranian people will never surrender to major powers. Since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian people have dealt with terrorists and mercenaries and we will continue our struggle until all such mercenaries and terrorists are uprooted."
President Rouhani added: "Certainly we will retaliate against the terrorist mercenaries who carried out Wednesday's attack, and they will pay a price for spilling the blood of our martyrs."
Turning to Iran's neighbors, president Rouhani said: "Neighbouring countries must carry out their duties and they must not allow terrorist groups to use their soil to launch terror attacks against other regional countries. This is expected from good neighbors."
He further warned by saying: "If this trend continues and our neighbors fail to stop terrorists using their soil to attack the Islamic Republic, then in such cases international law is very clear. We have certain rights and we will deal with that situation according to international law." 211/103
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