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Iran, Russia, Turkey hold trilateral Astana format summit in Tehran

Iran, Russia, and Turkey have held a trilateral summit on the Syria peace process that seeks to work towards ending more than 11 years of conflict in the Arab country.

The seventh summit of the Astana process hosted by Tehran was held on Tuesday and attended by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Addressing the event, Raeisi said the Astana format had obtained some “good achievements.” “The responsibility for its preservation and development rests primarily on us, friendly countries, as its guarantors,” he said.

Underlining the importance of preservation of Syria’s integrity, territorial sovereignty, and independence, the Iranian president insisted that the fate of the Arab country had to be decided by its own people and through intra-Syrian negotiations in the absence of all foreign interference.

military intervention in Syria only worsens the situation in the country, 

integrity and independence of Syria must be respected and a military intervention in the Arab country will only worsen the situation there

“With the passage of 11 years since the onset of crisis in Syria, the Islamic Republic still believes that the only solution to the crisis is a political one and that military solution only exacerbates the situation,” he said.

He went on to say that violation of Syria’s territorial integrity has not contributed to the regional security, and calling the Arab country’s sovereignty “an inviolate principle.”

The Iranian president also said Tehran, Moscow and Ankara have, since the past and based on the agreements, supported political resolution of the crisis, including through holding of a referendum on the Syrian constitution, and laid emphasis on our resolve to fight terrorism throughout the region, including in Syria.

“The determination of the countries that form the Astana process rests in advancement of previous agreements,” he asserted.

Raeisi reminded the sacrifices that had been made towards the fight against terrorism, commemorating the memory of those who had lost their lives down this path, most notably Iran’s senior anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

General Soleimani, who used to lead the Islamic Republic’s military advisory support for Syria’s counter-terrorism efforts, was assassinated in a United States’ drone strike against Baghdad in early 2020.

President Raeisi also denounced the US’s unilateral sanctions for “compounding the pressure on the Syrian people.” The Islamic Republic condemns all sanctions targeting the world’s nations, and would “continue its instances of support for the Syrian people more powerfully [than before],” he stated.

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