Joint statement by Presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey

President of The Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani, President of The Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of The Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gathered in Sochi on November 22, 2017, for а tripartite meeting, reaffirmed their determination to continue active collaboration among Iran, Russia and Turkey with а view to establishing peace and stability in Syria, envisaged by UNSCR 2254.

The Presidents expressed satisfaction with the current level of tripartite coordination on maintaining and strengthening the ceasefire regime in Syria, of which Iran, Russia and Turkey are guarantors.

The Heads of state noted that, following several years of international efforts to defeat unsc-designated terrorist groups in Syria, over the 11 months since the establishment of the ceasefire regime on December 29, 2016, a breakthrough had been made in bringing closer the elimination of ISIL, Nusra Front and all other terrorist organizations as designated by the UNSC and agreed that Iran, Russia and Turkey will continue cooperation for their ultimate defeat.

The Presidents emphasized that the creation of the de-escalation areas established in Astana process in Syria have been quite efficient and greatly helped to reduce violence, alleviate the humanitarian suffering, curb the flow of refugees, and start working to provide conditions for the safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons.

The Presidents acknowledged that the ”Astana format“ and its achievements have become an effective instrument for contributing to peace and stability in Syria.

The Presidents decided that Iran, Russia and Turkey would continue their coordinated efforts to ensure that the progress in reduction of violence is irreversible. They agreed to assist the Syrians in restoring unity of the country, and achieving а political solution of the crisis through an inclusive, free, fair and transparent Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process leading to а constitution enjoying the support of the Syrian people and free and fair elections with the participation of all eligible Syrians under appropriate un supervision.

The Heads of state reaffirmed their strong commitment to sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of The Syrian Arab Republic and emphasized that under no circumstances the creation of the above-mentioned de-escalation areas and at political initiative to solve the Syrian crisis undermine the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of The Syrian Arab Republic.

The Presidents expressed their support for а broad intra-Syrian dialogue involving representatives of all segments of Syrian society.

The Presidents called on the representatives of The Government of The Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition that are committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-fractional character of the Syrian state to participate constructively in the Syrian national dialogue congress in Sochi in near future. They agreed to actively contribute to the success of the Congress. Iran, Russia and Turkey will consult and agree on participants of the Congress.

The Presidents underscored the need for rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and emphasized the need for the Syrian parties to take confidence-building measures, including the release of detainees/abductees and the handover of the bodies as well as identification of missing persons to create better condition for political process and lasting ceasefire. They called upon members of the international community to support the process of de-escalation and stabilization in Syria, inter alia, by sending additional aid to the Syrian people, facilitating the humanitarian mine action, preserving historical heritage, and restoring basic infrastructure assets, including social and economic facilities.

The Presidents expressed the hope that the progress in resolving Syrian crisis achieved through cooperation of Iran, Russia and Turkey would have а positive effect on the overall situation in the region, and reduce the risk of ethnic and sectarian divide.

The Presidents decided to meet again as needed.

The Presidents of Islamic Republic of Iran and The Republic of Turkey expressed their sincere gratitude to President of The Russian Federation, Н.Е Vladimir Putin, for hosting this tripartite summit in Sochi.

source: http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5256