Russian, Iranian, Turkish FMs acknowledge that Moscow-Ankara agreements on Idlib have helped achieve good de-escalation results
MOSCOW. April 22 (Interfax) - The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey acknowledged during a teleconference on Wednesday that the Russian-Turkish agreements have helped achieve good de-escalation results in Syria's Idlib, although terrorists are still obstructing their implementation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
"In discussing the situation in Idlib, the parties acknowledged that the implementation of the Russian-Turkish protocol of March 5 of this year has helped achieve important results in the de-escalation of the situation, even though Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [terrorist organization banned in Russia] illegally armed groups are trying to obstruct this," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website.
The foreign policy heads also "agreed on the importance of continued efforts toward separating moderate opposition from terrorists in the Idlib zone," the statement said.
"The ministers agreed that international organizations should step up their activities to provide humanitarian assistance to the SAR's civilian population, especially amid the spread of the coronavirus infection," it said.
"In this respect, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's call for easing and suspending the sanctions undermining Syria's ability to fight the pandemic is of special importance," it said.
The foreign ministers of the Astana format guarantor countries have welcomed "the achievement of an agreement between the government and the opposition on an agenda of the next meeting of the Constitutional Committee's drafting commission" and voiced the hope that "this meeting will take place as soon as the epidemiological situation allows for this," it said.
The ministers reaffirmed Moscow's, Tehran's, and Ankara's commitment to "unconditional respect for the Syrian Arab Republic's sovereignty and integrity in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254" and "reaffirmed their determination to continue to work together productively within the framework of the Astana format and combine Russia's, Iran's, and Turkey's efforts to achieve lasting stability and security in Syria and in the region as a whole," it said.
"The dates of the next summit of the Astana Troika to take place in the Islamic Republic of Iran will be determined later," it said.