Doha, SANA- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the guarantor states of the Astana foramt, Russia, Iran and Turkey, agreed to stop military operations in Syria, and steps will be taken on the ground. They also agreed to call on the Syrian government and the opposition to begin dialogue and implement Security Council Resolution 2254.
“We agreed to take steps to stop military operations and we will take decisions on the ground, as for the de-escalation zone in Idleb, we said that the commitments within the framework of the Astana platform do not allow supporting Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and demanding the separation between the opposition and this terrorist organization,” Lavrov said during a press conference today after a meeting with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts within the Astana format in Doha.
He added that the three parties emphasized Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, the immediate cessation of hostilities, and the refusal to allow terrorists to seize territory in Syria.
“We agreed to call on the Syrian government and the opposition to begin dialogue and implement UN Resolution 2254, which strongly affirms the unity and sovereignty of Syrian territory and condemns any attempts by terrorists to disrupt the lives of Syrians,” Lavrov concluded.
Mazen