Iran FM calls for summit on Syria amid revived rebel offensive

INA-  SOURCES

Iran’s Foreign Minister has called for a summit to be convened between Tehran, Turkiye and Russia in order to resolve the ongoing crisis in Syria, amid the revived rebel offensive sweeping throughout the country.

Early today, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, visited Turkiye’s capital, Ankara, to discuss with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, the two countries’ bilateral relations and regional developments, particularly regarding the recent revival of the conflict in Syria.

Araghchi’s visit to Turkiye came a day after his trip to Syria’s capital, Damascus, where he met with President Bashar Al-Assad and assured him that Iran will support Syrian regime forces in their attempt to repel the new offensive launched by Syrian rebels – led largely by the Idlib-based group Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham – who have rapidly captured significant swathes of territory over the past week.

Who is fighting in Syria and why?

In a joint press conference following the meeting, Araghchi emphasised the Iranian government’s stance in favour of maintaining and advancing the achievements of the Astana peace talks on the 13-year-long conflict in Syria. In that regard, he stated that the Iranian delegation agreed with their Turkish counterparts that Iran, Turkiye and Russia should meet as soon as possible at the level of their foreign ministries to discuss the security situation in Syria.

On the part of Turkish Foreign Minister, Fidan, he expressed Ankara’s resolve to boost cooperation with Iran in economic, political, cultural and security fields, as well as in counter-terrorism efforts. The Turkish diplomat also expressed concern over the spread of insecurity and instability in Syria, warning against its potential consequences for the wider region while, at the same time, refraining from denouncing the Syrian rebels as “terrorists” unlike his Iranian counterpart.

The exact date and confirmation of further trilateral talks on the Syrian conflict has not yet been revealed or verified, but the call for such a meeting comes only weeks after the 22nd meeting in the Astana peace talks was held in Kazakhstan’s capital in early November.




SOURCE: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR