TEHRAN - Iran, Turkey and Russia issued a joint statement on Thursday with regard to the Syria crisis, calling on the Syrian Constitutional Committee to reach an agreement between parties to end the war in Syria.

Following consultations on the margins of the fifth meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva, the three countries, as guarantors of the Astana peace talks, released a joint statement emphasizing their support for a sovereign, independent, and united Syria.

According to Anadolu Agency, Iran, Turkey, and Russia urged the Syrian Constitutional Committee on Thursday to seek compromise and consensus among the sides to end the decade-long war.
 
Praising the fifth meeting of the committee in Geneva, the statement underscored that the committee had been created by the Astana guarantor nations to endorse efforts for a political and peaceful solution to the crisis. 

It also said that the committee should work independently from "foreign interference" and develop a consensus between its members to gather the wide possible support among Syrians.

The next international meeting on Syria in the Astana format will take place in Sochi on Feb.16-17, 2021, the statement said.

Iran, Turkey, and Russia launched the Astana peace process to end the Syrian conflict in January 2017.

Syria has been ravaged by a multifaceted civil war since early 2011, when foreign fighters and extremists intervened militarily in the country to topple the Assad government. 

According to UN estimates, hundreds of thousands of people have been massacred and more than 10 million displaced. 

EE/PA