A view of Homs city in central Syria, March 11, 2021. /Xinhua
A view of Homs city in central Syria, March 11, 2021. /Xinhua
The Iranian foreign minister said he had discussed the latest situation in Syria with his Russian and Turkish counterparts and the United Nations (UN) envoy in New York, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported Saturday.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks to reporters in New York on Friday while elaborating on his meeting earlier in the day with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, said the report.
The meeting was held within the Astana process framework, launched in 2017 at the initiative of Iran, Russia and Türkiye.
The minister said the meeting highlighted economic problems, Western sanctions and terrorism as fundamental challenges in Syria.
He added that it also voiced concern over the humanitarian situation in Syria and reiterated that the unilateral sanctions against the country, which violate international and humanitarian law and the UN Charter, should be fully lifted.
Amir-Abdollahian said the meeting highlighted the international community's responsibility to reduce the Syrian people's suffering, urging the UN to mull a plan and provide financial support for creating the necessary infrastructure for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
The Iranian top diplomat noted that solutions were also proposed at the meeting to reduce misunderstandings and settle border problems between Syria and Türkiye.
During the meeting, the Turkish and Russian foreign ministers and the UN envoy also stated their views on helping resolve Syria's problems, according to IRNA.
(With input from Xinhua)