Iran, Russia Hail Syria Talks, Urge Serious Fight against Terrorism
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov reiterated the need for Syrian-Syrian dialogue and a serious resolve to combat terrorism.
Amir Abdollahian and Bogdanov in a phone conversation discussed the latest developments in Syria and Yemen.
They both described the Geneva talks on Syria as positive and stressed the necessity of a sustainable ceasefire in the Arab country, Syrian-Syrian dialogue and fighting terrorism seriously.
The two also condemned any foreign meddling in Syria and underscored that its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity should be preserved.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists, including the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group, currently controlling parts of it, mostly in the east.
The Syrian conflict has killed at least 260,000 people, according to the UN, and more than half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22.4 million has been internally displaced or fled abroad.
The latest round of Syria talks concluded in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday and UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has said his target date to reconvene the negotiations is from April 9.
As for Yemen, the senior Iranian and Russian diplomats expressed the hope that the United Nations’ efforts will lead to a cessation of war and that humanitarian aid can be delivered to the country that is facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
On Wednesday, United Nations special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a cessation of hostilities starting at midnight on April 10 and peace talks in Kuwait beginning a week later.
“This is really our last chance,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed told reporters in New York. “The war in Yemen must be brought to an end.”
Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia and its allies since March 2015.
The Saudi military strikes were launched in a failed attempt to undermine the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement and bring the former fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, back to power.
More than 8,300 people, among them at least 2,240 children, have been killed and over 16,000 others injured since the start of the attacks.
The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.
