German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock considered that a joint picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and their Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi is a "challenge" to NATO.

"Having the Turkish president in this photo is a challenge, to be kind," Baerbock told Germany's Bild, commenting on the photo.

According to Baerbock, such a photo for her is "more than incomprehensible" from the point of view of a NATO member.

Israeli media: "Israel" not liking Putin's photos in Tehran

It is worth noting that this same picture aroused great interest in Israeli media. One media outlet considered the summit "a kind of challenge against Biden's visit to the region," while another outlet described it as "the summit of opponents of Western sanctions."

Channel 12 commentator alleged that Putin wants to tell the West that "I have my allies as well."

The correspondent also stated that "these are the pictures that we receive in a live broadcast from Tehran, where Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived with his presidential plane, and they are pictures that Israel never likes to see, especially against the background of what is happening behind the northern border. This is a not-so-good regional development."

Putin, Raisi, & Erdogan meet in Tehran

The "trouble-making" picture came during the trilateral Astana format talks held between the Russian President and his Turkish and Iranian counterparts over Syria.

According to a joint statement published by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran, Russia, and Turkey asserted their rejection of all unilateral sanctions against Syria.

The presidents called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to increase assistance to all Syrians without politicization, discrimination, or conditions.

In addition, the three leaders reviewed the changes that have taken place in Syria since the last time they held a summit, stressing the relevance of the Astana format. 

Putin, Raisi, and Erdogan "condemned increased presence and activities of terrorist groups and their affiliates under different names in various parts of Syria, including the attacks targeting civilian facilities, which result in loss of innocent lives."