Iran Welcomes Russia-Turkey Deal on Syria’s Idlib
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi welcomed a recent agreement reached in Russia’ Sochi between Moscow and Ankara to create a buffer zone in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, the last major terrorist stronghold in the Arab country.
“The summit between the Russian and Turkish heads of state and the announcement of the agreement on how to resolve the issue of Idlib in Syria is an important and fundamental step toward removing the remnants of terrorists in Syria…,” Qassemi said on Tuesday.
“Halting any violence and bloodshed while ridding the region of terrorism is among the most basic and fundamental pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy,” he added.
The spokesman further expressed hope that the results of the Sochi summit, which was held within the framework of the Astana peace process and a recent summit between Iran, Russia and Turkey in Tehran, could have “an effective role” in ending the Syrian people’s suffering and speeding up the expulsion of “violence-seeking forces” from the country.
The leaders of Turkey and Russia said on Monday that they had agreed to create a demilitarized buffer zone to separate Syrian government troops from Takfiri militant groups in the of Idlib.
It came after a trilateral summit held in Tehran on September 7 between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about the Syrian crisis.
Following the summit, the three leaders issued a joint statement, reaffirming determination to continue cooperation until full eradication of terrorist groups in Syria.
