EU’s Mogherini: Iran, Russia Can Play Leading Role in Settling Syria Crisis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said on Wednesday that Tehran and Moscow can play a leading role in resolving the ongoing Syrian crisis.
"Russia is and can be a key player when it comes to putting pressure, convincing the regime in Syria to participate in the political process, in the talks, to sit around the table. As well as the role of Iran is crucial in this respect," Mogherini said, Tass reported today.
"If we want political situation to move inside Syria and the political process to start immediately, we need to involve the actors that have an influence on the regime. That’s why both Russia and Iran are crucial," she added.
She also said that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf countries should be also involved.
Since late September, Russia has been carrying out bombings against the ISIL terrorist group in Syria, after Russia's parliament granted President Vladimir Putin authorization to deploy the country's air force abroad.
Syria has been entangled in civil war since March 2011. The ISIL Takfiri group now controls parts of the Arab country, mostly in the east.
In the past four and half years, more than 240,000 people have died in Syria -overwhelmingly civilians- and around 4 million Syrian people are now refugees in other countries. Around 8 million others have been displaced internally.
