Iran calls on Turkey to leave Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called on Monday on Turkey to withdraw from Syria, stressing that military options cannot be a good solution.
Amirabdollahian made the remarks following discussions with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in the Iranian capital of Tehran.
Turkey has invaded Syria three times since 2016, occupying large swathes of the country’s north and positioning its armed forces along the contact line in Idlib between the Syrian government and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front).
“We … believe that military presence in Syria is not the solution,” Amirabdollahian added.
The top Iranian diplomat said the framework of the quadrilateral meetings between Syria, Turkey, Russia and Iran was the “most suitable diplomatic path” for the establishment of security on the common borders of Syria and Turkey.
Late in December 2022, a trilateral meeting took place between the defense ministers of Turkey, Syria and Russia in Moscow, marking the first high-level meeting between Syria and Turkey since the onset of the Syrian war.
Stressing that Iran fully understands Turkey’s concerns about the security of its common borders with Syria, Amirabdollahian said that the presence of foreign forces in Syria will not contribute in stabilizing the region.