Speaking in a joint press conference with Russian and Turkish counterparts after the Astana Troika summit held in Tehran on Tuesday, Ebrahim Raisi thanked the presidents of Russia and Turkey for attending the seventh meeting of the Astana negotiations in order to pursue the rule of peace in Syria, saying, "In this summit, the sovereignty of the established government of Syria on the territorial integrity of this country was emphasized."
"The presence of the Americans in the east of the Euphrates, under any pretext, is not legitimate, and they should leave this area, and all parts of Syria should be established under the rule of a legitimate government," the Iranian President added. "In the meeting, we emphasized the decisive fight against terrorism and the cooperation of all countries in this field".
Raeisi stated that today's terrorist movements have endangered the security of the region, and added, "Everyone has tried to fight terrorism and therefore it is necessary to address the concerns that exist in Syria, especially in areas like Idlib, about the presence of terrorists, with the serious determination of all countries."
Referring to Martyr General Haj Qasem Soleimani as a symbol of standing and resistance and fighting against terrorism, he said, "The Islamic Republic's vigorous fight against terrorist movements has been a successful experience and the serious and relentless fight against terrorism will definitely be successful."
The President stated that the continuation of humanitarian aid to the oppressed people of Syria was emphasized in this meeting, and clarified, "All the members were of the same opinion that efforts should be made to solve the economic and livelihood problems of the Syrian people."
Raeisi noted, "In this meeting, the need to avoid any action that would lead to violation of Syrian sovereignty was emphasised. The members agreed that any action should be aimed at strengthening the rule of the legal government of this country."
The President said, "The presidents present at the summit while condemning the attacks of the Zionist Regime on the oppressed people of Syria, stressed the cessation of these attacks and stated that attacking the people and armed forces in Syria is a violation of the sovereignty of this country and against international laws."
Stating that the cooperation of Iran, Russia and Turkey with the government in Syria is always necessary to establish peace and implement agreements to ensure the security of Syria, Raeisi clarified, "We believe that the framework of the Astana Process has been successful and these negotiations have had good results and this process should continue for the advancement of security and progress."
The President continued, "The cooperation of these three countries and other countries in the region can help speed up the stabilisation of Syria's sovereignty so that the people of this country can enjoy the peace and return to normal life."
Raeisi also said that in this meeting, it was emphasized on providing the basis for the return of Syrian refugees to their country as soon as possible and added, "People who have sought refuge in other countries should return to their land as soon as possible. We hope that the cooperation of the three countries in the Astana negotiations will speed up this process so that the Syrian people can achieve peace as soon as possible."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, considered the meeting of the leaders of the countries that are the guarantors of the Astana Process very useful for helping to resolve the Syrian issue and said, "This meeting was very meaningful and constructive, and various issues were discussed in detail with Mr Raeisi and Mr Erdogan, and we reviewed the key issues of cooperation for the Syrian issue."
Stating that the final statement of the meeting emphasised the strengthening of tripartite cooperation for the purpose of stable normalisation in Syria, Putin said, "The three countries agree that the solution to the Syrian crisis is possible only through a political mechanism."
Referring to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 and deeming it necessary to fully respect the basic principles of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Syria, the Russian President noted, "The future of Syria must be drawn by the Syrians without dictating from outsiders."
Recognizing the importance of revitalising and maintaining the JCPOA and recalling Russia's role in these negotiations, Putin noted, "It is very important to create conditions for the revival and sustainable implementation of the JCPOA based on UN Security Council Resolution 2231. It is very necessary to revive the JCPOA and all parties guarantee that they have equal rights in all its parts without any exception".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, referring to the review of the activities of the Guarantor States of the Astana Process in the meeting of the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey, said, "The framework of the Astana Process is the most effective measure that can provide a solution to the Syrian problem."
He added, "The fight against terror was one of the important topics of the Tehran meeting. We do not see any difference between all terrorist organisations and do not accept that one is used as a tool to fight another. Our fight against terror will continue under any name and title."
Emphasizing the solution to the Syrian crisis only through political negotiations, Erdoğan said, "The process of political negotiations must be accelerated for a lasting solution, and the work of the constitutional committee must be concluded as soon as possible. Unfortunately, an inconsistent position is followed in this field."
Emphasizing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the President of Turkey said, "We will continue our efforts to encourage the parties to achieve peace and stability. Our main goal is to end the human tragedy in Syria."
The seventh summit meeting of Astana peace process guarantors was held with the participation of the presidents of the three countries – Iran, Russia, and Turkey – in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday evening.
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's Vladimir Putin, and Iran's Ebrahim Raeisi held talks in the framework of the Astana format, stressing the need for respecting Syria's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The summits were initiated in Kazakhstan's capital in January 2017, so the peace negotiations were called Astana peace talks back then.
The talks retained the same name as the Astana negotiations after Kazakhstan changed the name of its capital city to Nur-Sultan in 2019.
ZZ/President.ir
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