Syria Talks Sign of Regional Countries’ Success to Resolve Their Problems: Envoy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei highlighted the importance of recent talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana and said the meeting indicates that the Middle Eastern countries have been successful in resolving regional problems.
Speaking at a Russian-language radio program, Sanaei said the Islamic Republic of Iran has certain principles to resolve problems facing the Middle East region.
“From the beginning (of the Syrian crisis), Iran was opposed to the interference of trans-regional forces in regional affairs,” the diplomat said, adding, “It is Iran’s principled policy.”
He further emphasized that the Syria talks in Kazakhstan are difficult and an immediate result should not be expected from the negotiations.
However, the Astana talks, by themselves, are considered a success for regional coutnries to resolve their problems, Sanaei added.
Representatives from Iran, Russia, and Turkey kicked off a technical meeting in Astana on Monday to discuss details of the implementation of the Syrian ceasefire agreement.
The meeting came two weeks after the three countries reached an agreement in Astana to create a trilateral mechanism for monitoring breaches of a fragile ceasefire established in late December.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
