Russia, Turkey & Iran ‘concerned about increased terrorist presence’ in Idlib, Syria

Russia, Turkey, and Iran are concerned about the increased presence of terrorist groups in Syria’s Idlib province, the three states said in a joint statement after talks in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. They also pledged to coordinate actions aimed at eliminating the militants.

The trio said they opposed separatism in Syria under the pretence of self-governance and rejected the illegal seizure of Syrian oil revenue, Reuters reports.

Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan is hosting December 10-11 the 14th round of talks on Syria. They involve the guarantors of the Astana process (Russia, Iran, and Turkey), the Syrian government and the armed opposition, as well as representatives from the United Nations, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.

The next international meeting on resolving the situation in Syria will take place in Nur-Sultan in March 2020, Yerzhan Mukash of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.