Russia, Iran and Turkey reiterate need to maintain Syria’s independence

The setup of the Idlib de-escalation zone should not undermine Syria’s sovereignty, the guarantors of the Astana process - Russia, Iran and Turkey - said in a joint statement adopted at the Astana meeting on Syria, which was read out by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov.

The parties "stressed that under no circumstances the creation of the… [Idlib] de-escalation area should undermine the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic."

According to the statement, the guarantor counties "reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter."

Ceasefire violations in Idlib
Russia, Iran and Turkey are concerned with the ongoing cea

According to the statement, the parties "examined in details the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area and reaffirmed their determination to fully implement the Memorandum on the Stabilization of the Situation in the Idlib De-escalation Area of September 17, 2018." "In this regard, they expressed their concern with the ongoing violations of the ceasefire regime, and declared that, as guarantors of the ceasefire regime, they would step up their efforts to ensure observance with it, including by enhancing work of the Joint Iranian-Russian-Turkish Coordination Center," the statement adds.

In addition, the guarantor countries "reaffirmed their determination to continue cooperation in order to ultimately eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaeda and DAESH/ISIL as designated by the UN Security Council." They also "called upon all armed opposition groups in Syria to completely and immediately dissociate with the above-mentioned terrorist groups.".