Photo: AA
Presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Tehran yesterday (July 19) to hold bilateral and trilateral talks in what was the seventh summit of the "Astana peace process" for Syria.
Ahead of the tripartite summit, President Vladimir Putin of Russia met his counterparts from Iran and Turkey, Ebrahim Raisi and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran.
Speaking at a joint press conference after the summit, Raisi said the US presence in the east of the Euphrates river was "wrong under any pretext."
The three leaders emphasized the importance of Syria's territorial integrity and the fight against terrorism, he said.
Putin also reiterated their commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and said the joint efforts of the three countries to facilitate the settlement of the Syrian crisis were "highly productive."
He accused the US and western countries of destabilizing Syria, saying, "Let me stress that the situation on the territories outside the control of the Syrian government is particularly concerning. We see real threats of crime, extremism and separatism coming from those regions.
"This is largely allowed through the destructive policy of the Western states led by the US which are using a broad arsenal of political and economic measures."
Erdoğan asks for support
For his part, President Erdoğan said Turkey's fight against terrorist organizations will "continue permanently" and asked for Russia and Iran's help in its endeavor.
"The PKK/PYD/YPG terror is a joint issue for us all. We shouldn't forget that this terrorist organization targets Syria's territorial integrity," the president remarked, referring to the Kurdish groups.
"We are determined to erase the centers of evil in Syria that threaten our national security," Erdoğan remarked. "Tell Rifaat and Manbij have become a hotbed of terrorism. It is time to clean up these harbors where the terrorist organization took refuge."
Since late May, Turkey has expressed its intentions to launch a new offensive targeting the Kurdish groups in Syria's north. Both the US and Russia have opposed the idea.
In the joint statement released after the meeting, the leaders reiterated their commitment to the Astana process and said the crisis can only be solved by political means.
The next tripartite summit will be held in Moscow, the statement said. (VK)
