Iran press/Iran: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued a joint statement at the end of the Tehran Summit and emphasized their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria as well as to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and highlighted that they should be respected by all.
They reaffirm determination to continue cooperation until full eradication of terrorist groups in Syria.
Presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia also expressed their satisfaction with the achievements of the Astana format since January 2017, in particular, the progress made in reducing violence across the Syrian Arab Republic and contributing to peace, security and stability in the country.
They reiterated that no actions, no matter by whom they were undertaken, should undermine these principles.
Presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism and expressed their determination to stand against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of neighbouring countries.
Discussed the current situation on the ground, took stock of the developments regarding the Syrian Arab Republic following their last meeting in Ankara on 4 April 2018 and agreed to continue trilateral coordination in accordance with their agreements. In this regard, they took up the situation in Idlib de-escalation area and decided to address it in line with the above-mentioned principles and the spirit of cooperation that characterized the Astana format.
Reaffirmed their conviction that there could be no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that it could only end through a negotiated political process. They reaffirmed their determination to continue active cooperation with a view to advancing the political process in consistence with the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and the UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on Friday afternoon after the tripartite summit of Iran, Russia and Turkey on Syria in Tehran said: “This summit has been held at a time when the US is considering a new accusation against the Syrian government, by which it is looking a new illegal intervention in the country”.
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Presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia reaffirmed their resolve to continue joint efforts aimed at advancing the Syrian led and Syrian-owned process for reaching a political settlement and reiterated their commitment to help establish and launch the work of the Constitutional Committee. They expressed their satisfaction with the useful consultations between their senior officials and the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria.
Emphasized the need to support all efforts to help all Syrians restore their normal and peaceful life and to alleviate their sufferings. In this regard, Presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia called upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and its humanitarian agencies, to increase their assistance to Syria by providing additional humanitarian aid, facilitating humanitarian mine action, restoring basic infrastructure assets, including social and economic facilities, and preserving historical heritage.
Presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia reaffirmed their determination to continue joint efforts aimed at protecting civilians and improving the humanitarian situation via facilitating rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all Syrians in need.
Highlighted the need to create conditions for the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their original places of residence in Syria. To this end, Presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia emphasized the necessity of coordination among all relevant parties, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other specialized international agencies. They agreed to consider the idea of convening an international conference on Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
They also decided to hold their next meeting in the Russian Federation upon the invitation of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
The three leaders have met twice in Sochi and Istanbul in the framework of Astana Syria Talks.
The first of the trilateral summits was held last year in Russia's Black Sea city Sochi on Nov. 22. The second trilateral summit held in Istanbul.
The Third summit came as the Syrian army’ is preparing for attacking Idlib, the last stronghold of terrorists in the north.
Syrian government forces have been massing around the country's last rebel bastion. Capturing Idlib would put the vast majority of the country under Syria government control.
The main rebel group in the area is Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaeda affiliate.
Iran, alongside Russia and Turkey, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. The three guarantor states initiated the Astana Process on January 23, 2017, establishing de-escalation zones in an effort to restore calm in the region and improve the humanitarian situation in war-torn Syria.
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