The senior adviser to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ali Asghar Haji, said that the Syrian issue could not be solved without the presence of Iran, speaking of a new formula for the Astana talks on Syria.
Haji said his country has played an “active and constructive” role in Syria since 2011, adding that the solution in Syria cannot be achieved easily without the presence of Iran.
He added that during the visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian to Damascus on Saturday, Assad regime officials stressed “the importance of this role and the need to continue it.”
Astana: Trio to quadrant
Iran’s top foreign minister, Ali Asghar Haji, said that work is underway to update the format of the Astana talks on Syria in line with the current circumstances and changes.
He pointed out that the Syrian regime was informed of the importance of the Astana talks becoming quadrilateral through the participation of a fourth country– referring to the participation of the regime.
He added: “In the next rounds that we will make to other member states of the Astana format, we will raise these issues and try to make the Astana format more efficient and effective with an appropriate strategy based on the new situation in Syria.”
“Now Syria is consulting with Turkey, Russia is also present in this process, and if Iran is also present in these talks, a four-way communication will already take place.”
The Astana track is the longest in terms of political tracks related to the Syrian issue. Its first rounds began in early 2017, after the areas of eastern Aleppo came under the control of the regime. 19 rounds have taken place so far.
Regarding the talks between the regime and Turkey, the Iranian adviser said that Ankara should be aware of the fact that the deployment of regime forces on the Syrian-Turkish border “is in Turkey’s interest.”
He added: “The two governments can coordinate border affairs with each other, and in this framework, the security of the two countries will be established. Otherwise, security risks will arise for Syria and the Turks, given that the issue of the military offensive that took place several times did not solve the problem.”
“Any interaction and rapprochement between Arab and non-Arab countries with Syria is in the interest of the countries of the region, peace, stability and the progress of humanitarian issues in Syria, and we help achieve this process (normalization),” he said.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
