Iran, Russia to ensure greater cooperation on Syria

EghtesadOnline: Iran’s Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev discussed the process of cooperation between the two countries over the Syrian crisis and the preparations for the next Astana summit during a phone call on Tuesday.

News ID: ۷۷۷۳۹۸

04 July 2017

“Ensuring greater coordination between Iran and Russia in order to prevent the illegal meddling of the US in Syria and protecting the territorial integrity of this country as well as its national sovereignty are among the unavoidable necessities,” Shamkhani said.

Speaking about the recent ceasefire in Syria, Shamkhani added that required measures should be taken in order to prevent the terrorists from abusing the situation, according to ISNA.

“We have noticed an evident trend in US attacks on Syrian army positions aimed at strengthening terrorists’ morale and preserving some captured areas by armed takfiri elements,” Shamkhani went on to say.

The Iranian senior official stressed that US measures in Syria against the legitimate government is in violation of UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.

Patrushev, for his part, called for closer cooperation between Iran and Russia for determining certain mechanisms for deploying forces to monitor the Syrian ceasefire.

He expressed satisfaction over achievements in the political arena and on the ground thanks to Tehran-Moscow joint cooperation in fighting terrorism in Syria, adding “following up on political mechanisms will not hinder our effective fight against terrorist groups outside the current initiatives that have led to the establishment of ceasefire in Syria.”

The telephone conversation between the two sides came as the fifth international meeting on Syria in Astana kicked off on Tuesday with a session of a joint working group on de-escalation issues. The Iranian delegation participating in the meeting is headed by deputy foreign minister Hossein Jaberi-Ansari. A plenary session is expected on Wednesday afternoon.