Iran, Russia, Turkey, Syria condemn ‘support’ for terrorists in Syria
Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Syria on Wednesday condemned the actions of nations supporting “terrorist entities” in northeastern Syria as they assembled for Astana peace talks in Kazakhstan.
The guarantor countries reject “illegitimate self-rule initiatives” in Syria implemented under the pretext of fighting terrorism, a joint statement read, according to Daily Sabah.
Reiterating their resolve to combat terrorism, the sides added, “We stand against separatist agendas that threaten the national security of neighboring countries.”
Since Tuesday, deputy foreign ministers from Iran, Russia, Turkey as well as Bashar Assad’s regime have been in the Kazakh city for the 20th round of Astana talks.
The guarantor countries on Wednesday held bilateral meetings and discussed developments “in the field” and Syria’s immediate region. A roadmap for the normalization of ties between the Damascus-based regime and Ankara was also on the agenda besides the release of hostages, missing persons, the humanitarian situation, the rebuilding of Syria, and the establishment of conditions for the return of Syrian refugees.
The joint statement further condemned Israel’s ongoing military attacks on Syria, reiterated the sides’ call for respect to international laws, and dismissed Israel’s decisions and steps on the matter as “null and void”.
The sides agreed to reconvene for the next round of talks in the second half of the year, but longtime host Kazakhstan seems more reluctant to uphold the tradition as it surprisingly proposed ending the process during the meeting.
“Syria’s gradual emergence from isolation in the region could be regarded as a sign that the Astana process has completed its task,” Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Kanat Tumysh told reporters. “We cannot say that the Astana process is over,” Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentyev said. “... But if the Kazakh side has decided that they need to be moved to a different location, we will discuss that and pick one.”
Russia, Turkey, and Iran could, for example, take turns to host those meetings, he said.