Ushakov : Putin’s meetings in Tehran on July 19 will discuss measures to achieve a long-term settlement in Syria

MOSCOW, July 18. (ST)- The United States continues to destabilize the situation in northern Syria by encouraging separatism and supplying weapons, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters Monday.

“Russia and Turkey are guarantors of cessation of hostilities in northeastern Syria in accordance with the 2019 memorandum,” the Kremlin representative recalled. According to him, “everyone knows that the activities of the United States, which continues to actively, persistently encourage separatism by providing comprehensive assistance to Kurdish quasi-state structures, including the supply of weapons to them, remain a destabilizing factor in the situation in northern Syria.”

Ushakov said that at a meeting in Tehran on July 19, Russian president Vladimir Putin, his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan “will discuss a set of joint measures in order to achieve a final and long-term settlement in Syria.” He noted that “special attention will be paid to the normalization of the situation in the areas outside the control of the Syrian government in Idlib and northern Syria.”

“In order to normalize the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone, as you know, the implementation of the Russian-Turkish Memorandum signed in Sochi in 2018 and its additional protocol of 2020 continues. It provides, among other things, for the organization of joint patrols of this area by Russian and Turkish servicemen,” the Kremlin aide recalled.

“As for Turkey’s plans to conduct a new operation in northern Syria against Kurdish formations, this issue will quite naturally be discussed,” Ushakov said. “The Russian principled position is that we oppose any actions that violate the basic principle of the Syrian settlement, which is enshrined in the relevant [UN Security Council] resolutions and in the decisions of the Astana format, which is respect for Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” the Kremlin representative pointed out.

In this context,  Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the National Iranian Radio and Television, which was broadcast on Monday on the Rossiya-24 TV channel that the main purpose of Putin’s visit to Tehran is to participate in the Astana Troika summit.

“In addition, our president has three meetings scheduled: these are talks with President Raisi, with President Erdogan, and the president will also pay a visit to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. We hope it will be a very comprehensive dialogue,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

According to him, the leaders will be able to discuss bilateral relations at the meetings, “first and foremost, trade and economic relations with both Iran and Turkey.” “[There will be] prospects and all modalities for continuing the political dialogue with both Iran and Turkey, and exchanging views on the most relevant topics, because there are so many hot spots around us that need our cooperation in order to resolve them,” Peskov noted, pointing out the topics of the upcoming talks, according to TASS.

Basma Qaddour