TEHRAN — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose countries are knowns as guarantors of the Astana peace process to end the Syria crisis, responded to series of questions after concluding their summit in Tehran on Tuesday night.

In a question addressed to Erdogan, a reporter asked about the agenda of the process, to which he responded, “In this meeting, we once again reviewed our activities to create a peaceful and stable environment in Syria in order to reach a political solution.”

He stated that the format of the Astana process is the most effective measure that will facilitate a political solution in Syria.

“At the Astana process, we once again emphasized our determination to carry out these activities,” the Turkish leader said.

Erdogan said the issue of terrorism was another topic of the tripartite meeting and Ankara does not see any difference between PJAK, YPG and PKK organizations. 

“We do not accept that one is used as a tool to fight with the other,” he reiterated.

These terrorist organizations are the main problem for all regional countries and their goal is to divide the Turkish soil, Erdogan pointed out. 

Erdogan went on to say that peace and tranquility should be established in Syria once again, elaborating, “Our main goal at the Astana process is to end the human tragedy in Syria.”

He went on to say that the process of implementing previous agreements on Syria was also reviewed in the talks. 

“In this context, we also think that the Syrian crisis can only be solved politically,” he underscored. 

He added that Ankara has told its Astana process partners to speed up the process of political negotiations to reach a “sustainable solution.”

Erdogan then pointed out that the activities of the Syrian Constitutional Committee should reach a conclusion as soon as possible.

He also stressed that this process should be concluded within the parameters of the United Nations. Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council resolution must be implemented in Syria. 

“Peace and stability once again will prevail in Syria,” Erdogan predicted. 

Raisi: Presence of Americans in east of Euphrates has no justification

For his part, President Raisi said, “In this meeting, the presidents of the three countries emphasized the sovereignty of Syria and the territorial integrity of this country.” 

The president went on to note that the heads of the three countries stressed that the Syrian government should have sovereignty over all parts of the country. Therefore, he insisted, the presence of the Americans in the east of the Euphrates is not justified under any pretext and they should leave there.

Raisi added, “Syria is a symbol of resistance and fight against terrorism,… but today's concern in Syria and Idlib regarding the presence of terrorists requires the serious determination of all countries to carry out the fight against terrorism. We are sure that this serious fight will be peaceful.” 

He went on to note that during the trilateral summit it was agreed to continue to send humanitarian aid to the oppressed people of Syria from all around the world as well as Iran, Russia and Turkey to help alleviate the livelihood problems of the “oppressed” Syrian people.

“Any action that leads to the violation of the Syrian sovereignty should not be done, but all efforts are to establish Syrian sovereignty,” the president concluded.

Putin: Tehran, Ankara and Moscow insist on political solution to Syrian conflict

For his turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about a wide range of issues, from the Syrian conflict to his meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

“In this meeting, we discussed important issues in detail and it was emphasized that the consolidation of the movement of the three countries will benefit the normalization of the situation in Syria,” he stressed. 

He also clarified about his meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, saying that the two sides had “good bilateral talks.” 
“It was announced by both sides to develop bilateral relations in all dimensions and cooperate on regional and international issues,” Putin continued. 

Putin added he and Raisi also had a discussion in this regard and agreed to strengthen the use of the national currencies and develop economic and commercial relations.

The Russian president went on to say, “Iran, Russia and Turkey insist that a political solution to the Syrian crisis can resolve this conflict and the unity and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected and the fate of Syria must be decided by the people of this country.”

Putin said that the three presidents agreed to continue the Astana process, and that governments, opposition parties and the United Nations must participate. 

“The Astana process must play a major role in solving the Syrian crisis,” he reiterated.

He then noted that during this meeting, terrorist threats were examined by the three countries, adding the main forces of Daesh (ISIS) in Syria have been destroyed and the Syrian government has gained more control over the country.

Pointing to the terrorist actions of Daesh, Putin emphasized, “Of course, the main forces of Daesh have been destroyed and the participants (involved countries) should continue their campaigns until the complete eradication of terrorists.”

The Russian president elaborated that the three countries emphasized to continue the fight against terrorism in Syria. 

“Foreign forces in Syria must be eliminated. In the east of the Euphrates, they are trying to violate the sovereignty of the Syrian government. We emphasized that the east of the Euphrates must be under the control of the Syrian government,” he highlighted. 

Putin then called on the international community to help the Syrian people and immigrants return to their country voluntarily.

'We must try to preserve the JCPOA’

On the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the JCPOA, Putin also said, “We must try to preserve the JCPOA and revive it based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 and all parties have equal rights to develop plans without any discrimination.”