Raisi, Putin assert the need to adhere to Syria’s sovereignty and to resolve the crisis in it politically

TEHRAN, July 19, (ST)-  Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated the need to adhere to Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and to resolve the crisis in it politically, stressing that only the Syrians will decide the future of their country without any external intervention.

During the meeting of the heads of the Astana process guarantor  states  in Tehran today, Raisi said: “We stress the necessity of implementing the previous agreements of the guarantor states of the Astana Process “Russia, Iran and Turkey” regarding Syria, and we declare our support for a political solution in it and to combat terrorism until its final elimination. We affirm Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the right of its people to decide the future We hope that this meeting and its results will lead to strengthen stability in Syria.”

Raisi stressed that Syria’s sovereignty, stability and security are a red line, and that the presence of the Syrian Arab Army on the country’s borders is the guarantor of its stability.

Raisi added that the illegal American presence in Syria is the main causre for destabilizing its security and stability, indicating that Washington continues to steal Syrian wealth, including oil.

Moreover, the Iranian president said that the Western countries impose economic sanctions on the Syrian people to achieve their political agendas, and these unilateral sanctions contradict international law and state sovereignty.

“We condemn these sanctions and affirm that we will continue our support for the Syrian people and state, as we condemn the repeated attacks of the Zionist entity on Syrian territory,” Raisi added.

He called on the international community to contribute to the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and to provide aid to those in need without politicizing.

For his part, the Russian president said: “This tripartite meeting can play a role in confronting the actions that target the stability of Syria, and we hope to have an effective dialogue that establishes stability in it. We consider that one of the tasks in the near future is to agree on specific steps to promote a comprehensive internal Syrian political dialogue, that is, to implement our agreement to create the conditions under which the Syrians can decide themselves the future of their country without external intervention.”

Putin clarified that Russia is based on firm principles represented in respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and the integrity of its borders.

He expressed his country’s concern that there are areas in Syria that are still outside the control of the state with the support of Western countries, led by the United States, which continues with its tools to loot Syria’s natural resources.

In addition, Putin called on international organizations to take more active steps to help the Syrian people and to refrain from politicizing the situation.

“I think it is important that Russia, Iran and Turkey are taking consolidated efforts to support the Syrian people in post-conflict settlement,” he said.

“We believe that everything must be done to revive the economy and the social sphere, to ensure the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their home, to create conditions for safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance for those who need it,” Putin stressed.

Apart from that, “it is necessary to press other members of the world community, the United Nations sectoral agencies and international development institutions to play a more serious role in providing assistance to the Syrians, without politicization and preliminary conditions,” he added.

Basma Qaddour