News / Politics

Iran, Russia back UN efforts in resolving Syria crisis

Wednesday, 13 January 2016 3:15 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 13 January 2016 4:44 PM ]

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov

Iran and Russia have expressed their support for the United Nations’ efforts to put an end to the four-and-a-half-year crisis in Syria, warning against growing threats posed by terrorist groups to the region.

In a telephone conversation, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov discussed the latest developments in the region, including the crises in Syria and Yemen.

The two diplomats underlined the necessity of finding a political solution to ongoing crises in Syria and Yemen, saying that the continuation of military actions will further complicate the situation in the Arab countries.

Amir-Abdollahian said that the Islamic Republic backs an intra-Syrian dialog to settle the crisis gripping the Arab country.

The remarks came ahead of a new round of international talks on Syria in the Swiss city of Geneva on January 25.

The Austrian capital of Vienna hosted the first two rounds of talks on Syria on October 30 and November 14 last year. The third round of Syria talks was held in New York on December 18, when the UN Security Council on December adopted a resolution supporting an international roadmap for a peace process.

On December 26, 2015, the UN announced plans to convene negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition in Geneva on January 25 in another attempt to end the deadly crisis in the Arab country.

The office of the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said in a statement that he had “intensified efforts” toward holding the talks on the planned date.

A meeting of foreign ministers about the situation in Syria is pictured at the Palace Hotel in the Manhattan borough of New York on December 18, 2015. (© AFP)

The statement came two days after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Damascus was ready to attend “the Syrian-Syrian dialog in Geneva without any foreign interference.”

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and left over one million injured since March 2011. The crisis has also displaced millions of Syrians.

Syria blames the crisis on some countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, saying that if it had not been for their support, the terror groups, particularly the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, could have never taken control of the territories across the country.

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