Russia, Turkey and Iran reiterate need to maintain Syria’s independence

The setup of the Idlib de-escalation zone should not undermine Syria’s sovereignty, the guarantors of the Astana process - Russia, Iran and Turkey - according to a joint statement adopted at the Astana meeting on Syria.

The parties "stressed that under no circumstances the creation of the… [Idlib] de-escalation area should undermine the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic."

The guarantor counties "reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," TASS reported.

Russia, Iran and Turkey are concerned with the ongoing ceasefire violations in Syria’s Idlib province, the three countries also said in a joint statement.