The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey on Saturday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and reiterated their commitment to preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Speaking at the 2024 Doha Forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed the necessity of dialogue between the Syrian government and groups recognized as legitimate opposition forces under the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

The joint call came after a meeting of the Astana Format foreign ministers on the sidelines of the forum.

Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed measures to de-escalate violence in Syria and support the Syrian people.

"We strongly reiterated the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic. We called for an immediate end of hostile activities," Lavrov said, stressing that the path forward involves constructive dialogue under the framework of Resolution 2254.

Use of terrorism 'inadmissible'

Lavrov also criticized the use of "terrorist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham for geopolitical purposes."

"We are absolutely convinced of the inadmissibility of using terrorists like the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to achieve geopolitical purposes, as it is being done now with the organization of this offensive from the Idlib de-escalation area," Lavrov said. 

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The ministers urged Syrian opposition groups to prioritize national stability over continued violence.

Lavrov stressed that opposition forces must act in accordance with their country's needs, stating, "If the opposition, which was mentioned in the [UN Security Council] Resolution 2254, is a responsible opposition, if they care about their country, then they would not allow for this operation to continue. They participate in hostilities as well, and today's call from Iran, Turkey and Russia should be heard by everybody who is on the ground in Syria."

Focus on Syria-Turkey relations

In addition to addressing the broader conflict, Lavrov expressed the importance of normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey.

He outlined a series of proposals aimed at securing Syria’s borders and preventing terrorist activity while rebuilding diplomatic ties between the two nations.

"There is a series of ideas, which we want to put into practice to keep Syria territorially integral and united, while ensuring security of the border, which is porous, has been porous for terrorist attacks on the territory of Turkey … I have not the slightest doubt that the relations between Syria and Turkey must be normalized, and we will be doing anything to be helpful," Lavrov said.

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