Source Denies Turkey’s Summoning of Iranian Envoy


Source Denies Turkey’s Summoning of Iranian Envoy

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian diplomatic source denied reports that Turkey has summoned Iran’s ambassador for what Ankara says the Syrian government forces’ military activities in the city of Idlib.

The source dismissed reports on Wednesday that Iran’s Ambassador to Ankara Mohammad Ebrahim Taherian has been summoned by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry.

The Iranian envoy on Wednesday had a meeting with director of regional affairs at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the source added.

It came after reports that Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned Russian and Iranian ambassadors to express Ankara’s “discomfort” about the Syrian military attacks in Idlib.

Idlib is located within one of the so-called de-escalation zones set up in Syria in September in an effort to scale back the conflict.

Iran, Russia and Turkey are known as guarantors of a ceasefire they have brokered in Syria through the Astana peace process initiative.

In a round of Astana talks in September 2017, Iran, Russia and Turkey agreed on a deal to establish and patrol a de-escalation zone in Syria’s northern Idlib province.

In early October, Turkey deployed tanks and military vehicles on its Syrian border, building up military presence in Idlib.

Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria gained momentum in 2017 with the announcement of the start of the ceasefire in the Arab country in early January.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the Syria conflict that broke out in 2011 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.

Most Visited in Politics
Top Politics stories
Top Stories