Head of Iran’s diplomatic team in the latest round of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups in the Kazakh city of Astana reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to helping end conflicts in the Arab country.
“The Islamic Republic is committed to helping put an end to the clashes [in Syria] and believes that the Astana meeting’s main mission is facilitating Syrian-Syrian negotiations for ensuring peace and security in Syria,” Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari said in the second round of the peace talks in Astana on Thursday, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Highlighting the United Nations’ role in the Syria peace process, the Iranian diplomat made it clear that the initiatives developed by Iran, Russia and Turkey would not replace the international community’s previous peace efforts but complement them. Ansari reiterated Iran’s stances on the future of Syria, which entail respect for the Arab country’s territorial integrity, national sovereignty and its people’s right to decide their own fate.
“The Islamic Republic calls on all Syrian groups to join peace negotiations with the Syrian government and take the fate of their children in their own hands,” he said. The senior Iranian diplomat highlighted the achievements of Tehran-Moscow-Ankara efforts in tackling the crisis in Syria, saying the three countries have held intensive negotiations in recent weeks to finalize a plan for a joint committee overseeing the ceasefire in the Arab country.
“There has been a drop in cases of truce violations; thousands of refugees have returned to their cities, including Aleppo; and the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with the international community, has succeeded in providing more humanitarian aid for Syrian citizens,” he said.
Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria gained momentum in recent weeks with the announcement of a ceasefire in the Arab country in late December.
The truce, which was negotiated ÐÛ Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Damascus government and the Syrian opposition, excludes terrorist groups such as the self-styled Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.
The Thursday meeting in Astana was the second time key players brought the warring sides together and came ahead of a new round of UN-led talks on Syria scheduled for February 23 in Geneva, Switzerland.
