20 December 2016•Update: 22 December 2016
By Diyar Guldogan
MOSCOW
Turkey, Russia, and Iran are "ready" to become guarantors in Syria, according to Tuesday's joint statement by the countries’ foreign ministers after meeting in Moscow.
"Iran, Russia, and Turkey express their readiness to facilitate and become guarantors of the prospective agreement being negotiated between the Syrian government and the opposition," the statement said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced following a trilateral meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts Mevlut Cavusoglu and Javad Zarif that a joint declaration on Syria had been agreed on.
"They strongly believe that this agreement will be instrumental for creating the necessary momentum for resumption of the political process in Syria in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254," it added.
The ministers agreed on the "importance" of expanding the cease-fire, "unhindered" humanitarian aid, and the free movement of civilians in Syria.
"Iran, Russia, and Turkey are convinced that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict," the statement said.
The countries reiterated their "full respect" for Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
They also recognized the "essential" role of UN efforts to solve the Syrian crisis.
"Iran, Russia, and Turkey welcome joint efforts in eastern Aleppo allowing for the voluntary evacuation of civilians and organized departure of the armed opposition," the statement said.
The top diplomats also reiterated their "determination" to fight Daesh and al-Nusra.
They said they would also consider Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's invitation to bring together representatives of the Syrian regime and opposition in the capital Astana to solve the long-standing crisis.
