Iranian, Turkish Presidents Stress Syria's Territorial Integrity

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone conversation underlined the necessity for safeguarding Syria's sovereignty.

News ID: 68765

Date: 20 February 2018 - 17:16

During the phone talks late on Monday, President Rouhani called for continued efforts, cooperation and talks among Tehran, Moscow and Ankara until desirable goal is achieved.

He said fighting terrorism, driving terrorists out of Syria and countering separatist moves in the region are among the common goals of Iran and Turkey.

Today, separatist plots and attempts to set up puppet governments in the region are in the making, which should be dealt with through all-out collaboration, he underlined.

Noting that talks among leaders and officials of Iran, Turkey and Russia in Astana and Sochi instilled hope for promoting peace, stability and security of Syria, Rouhani said that the positive trend should continue through talks and consultations.

“Iran and Turkey are pursuing common goals in regional and international developments,” he said, calling for more intensive cooperation in line with implementing Astana agreements.

Stressing the need for upholding Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said that security and stability should be restored to the country and all Syrian refugees should have chance to return home.

Erdogan, for his part, expressed regret over death of Iranian citizens in the recent plane crash, and conveyed the Turkish nation and government’s condolences to the Iranian nation.

He presented a report on the presence of Turkish forces in Afrin region, Syria, wishing that all Syrian regions would be purged from terrorists.

“Syria believes that the country’s territorial integrity should a concern for all,” he said.

He also appreciated Iran’s supports for Turkey in connection with regional and international issues and fighting terrorism, underlining the need for Iran, Turkey and Russia to continue talks on Syrian crisis.

The leadership of Iran, Russia and Turkey have all agreed to attend an upcoming summit in Istanbul on the topic of Syria, with the date for the meeting to be decided soon.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and his government are committed to the peace process, in line with a UN Security Council resolution, that implies "constitutional reform and free and fair elections" in which all Syrians can participate.