MOSCOW: Russia, Iran and Turkey are in “close contact” over the conflict in Syria, Moscow said Wednesday, after a shock offensive has seen armed groups capture the second-largest city of Aleppo.
“The foreign ministers of the three guarantor countries — Russia, Iran and Turkey — are in close contact with each other,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday.
Russia and Turkey brokered a 2016 ceasefire between the various groups and Syrian forces, with Iran joining as a “guarantor state”.
Zakharova said Russia was “actively working with international partners to ensure the rapid stabilisation of the situation in Syria.”
The spokesperson highlighted reports suggesting that the Kyiv regime’s security services are collaborating with armed groups, supplying them with drones and sharing expertise in their use.
She further stated that this is neither the first nor the last region where Ukraine has employed its “criminal experience.” “African countries were targeted before; now, it concerns Syria,” Zakharova added as quoted by TASS news agency.
In a phone call on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the conflict needed a “speedy end,” and condemned aggression against the Syrian state.
During the conversation, the leaders discussed the latest developments in Syria, where armed groups in a surprise offensive have taken over Aleppo and are advancing in other regions, Anadolu news agency reported.
Erdogan said Turkey backs Syria’s territorial integrity and works for a fair and lasting solution. He added that it is important to open more space for diplomacy in the region and that the Syrian regime must engage in a political settlement process.
A senior official from the office of Iran’s supreme leader was also in Moscow for talks on Wednesday, the Iranian Embassy said in a statement.
🇷🇺🇹🇷📞 Presidents Vladimir Putin and @RTErdogan spoke over the phone.
They had an in-depth discussion of the quickly escalating tensions in Syria.
Read in full 👉 https://t.co/5WF1bKTNIv#RussiaTurkiye pic.twitter.com/UGJsdhrcLV
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) December 3, 2024
Russia, which announced naval and air force drills in the eastern Mediterranean this week, has accused Ukraine of backing the Syrian insurgent groups.
At the United Nations on Tuesday, Russia’s envoy Vassily Nebenzia said Ukraine had supported the insurgent group with weapons and instructors, without presenting any evidence.
“Ukrainian military instructors from the GUR are present… training HTS fighters for combat operations,” including against Russian troops in Syria, said Nebenzia.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said Monday, as reported by AFP, that Russia and Iran bear ultimate responsibility for intensified fighting in Syria.
“Syria state is going through a new dangerous stage of the war, which could lead to unpredictable consequences for regional peace and security,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
On November 27, armed groups carried out a large-scale attack in northern Syria. According to the Syrian military command, the insurgents tried to attack villages and towns defended by government forces, as well as military facilities and the Syrian army’s positions.
Syrian troops launched an operation to repel the attack. On November 30, the army command said that strikes had been carried out on the positions of militants penetrating many neighbourhoods in the city of Aleppo.
The Syrian Defense Ministry stated that the army had to regroup in order to protect the lives of civilians and military personnel and prepare for a counterattack.
