ANKARA

Turkish, Russian and Iranian leaders condemned Tuesday the increased presence and activities of terrorist groups and their affiliates under different names in various parts of Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and Iran's Ebrahim Raisi gathered in Iran's capital Tehran for the 7th summit in the Astana format to discuss the recent developments in Syria, the fight against the terrorist groups, particularly YPG/PKK and Daesh/ISIS, which pose a threat to the regional security, the humanitarian situation, and the voluntarily return of the Syrians to their homes.

The leaders "rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground" under the pretext of fighting terrorism, including "illegitimate self-rule initiatives," according to a joint statement released after the meeting.

They also expressed their determination to stand against "separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and threatening the national security of neighboring countries," including through cross-border attacks and infiltrations.

Erdogan, Putin, and Raisi said that security and stability in the region can only be achieved on the basis of preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

The statement also said the leaders reviewed in detail the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area and stressed that it is necessary to maintain calm on the ground with all agreements on Idlib fully implemented, agreeing to make further efforts to ensure sustainable normalization of the situation in and around the Idlib de-escalation area, including the humanitarian situation.

The leaders said there could be "no military solution to the Syrian conflict" and that "it could only be resolved through the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated political process in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254."

The presidents agreed to hold the next trilateral summit in Russia at the invitation of Putin.