Summit of Astana Peace Talks in Tehran Aimed at Restoring Peace to Syria: Iran’s FM
The goal of a tripartite summit slated to be held in the Iranian capital on Tuesday is to facilitate the establishment of peace and stability in war-torn Syria, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.
“The return of Syrian refugees to their homes and cities as well as facilitating the establishment of peace, stability, and security in Syria are among the main topics on the agenda of this tripartite summit,” he said on Monday.
Iran’s top diplomat added that during his recent visit to Turkey and Syria, “I conveyed a message from (Iran’s) President (Ebrahim Raisi) and we tried to manage the current security crisis that is brewing between Turkey and Syria.”
He pointed to Turkey's plans to launch military operations in a 30-kilometer-deep security zone on the Syrian side of the Turkish border and said, "We tried to settle this crisis and allay Turkey's security concern through the political path."
"Naturally, under the current sensitive circumstances, one of the issues on the agenda (of the Tehran summit) is that instead of resorting to war and (witnessing the subsequent) displacement of Syrian people, we can help solve this issue through political channels," the top Iranian diplomat added.
Tehran on Tuesday will host the 7th summit of the Astana peace talks on Syria in the presence of Iran’s president and his Russian and Turkish counterparts Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, respectively.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad is also scheduled to travel to Tehran on Tuesday.
Iran and Russia, as the allies of the Syrian government, and Turkey, which sides with the opposition, set up the Astana peace process in January 2017 to put an end to the Syrian conflict through the involvement of the Syrian government and the opposition.
The three countries have so far held 18 rounds of talks in the Kazakh capital, formerly called Astana. The last triple summit was held in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan in mid-June.
Participants at the 18th international summit on Syria in the Astana format have reaffirmed their strong commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and announced their firm opposition to Israel’s aggression and atrocities in the war-torn country.