Türkiye, Russia, Iran hold Syria talks in New York

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) – Foreign ministers from Türkiye, Russia and Iran, the three guarantor states of the Astana platform established to de-escalate tensions in Syria and pave the way for a political process, met in New York on Friday.

Hakan Fidan, Sergey Lavrov and Abbas Araghchi attended the Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Astana Platform on the margins of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

The ministers discussed the security, political and humanitarian situation in Syria, and called for restraint to prevent Israel's attacks on Lebanon from causing an additional spiral of violence in Syria, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

The meeting emphasized the importance of maintaining peace on the ground, including in northwestern Idlib province, as well as the need to prevent attempts by the separatist terrorist organizations to take advantage of the current situation, the sources added.

Reiterating Türkiye's support for the revival of the political process in Syria, Fidan underlined the importance of the Astana Process in achieving peace and stability in Syria.

During the meeting, the Turkish foreign minister drew attention to the threat of terrorism and the fact that Daesh/ISIS is increasing its attacks in Syria.

Fidan emphasized that the UN should play a "leading role" in resolving the conflict in Syria, the sources added.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.