MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held phone calls with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts on Saturday expressing concerns over the “dangerous” escalation of hostilities in Syria, Moscow said.
The violence in Syria comes after a series of attacks by armed groups in Aleppo and Idlib, prompting widespread international concern.
The escalation threatens to derail ongoing peace efforts and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Lavrov held separate calls with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts a day after Russia announced military action in Syria.
He and Turkish top diplomat Hakan Fidan “expressed serious concern” and affirmed the need to “coordinate joint action to stabilise the situation”, the Russian foreign ministry said in its readout of the call.
In a call with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, both sides expressed “strong support” for Syria’s sovereignty and called for “joint efforts aimed at stabilising the situation”, the ministry said.
According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry about the call, both sides “expressed extreme concern about the dangerous escalation of the situation in Syria due to the armed groups’ offensive in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces”.
Iranian foreign minister warned that a resurgence of militant activities in Syria is part of a broader scheme by the Israeli regime and the United States to destabilize the West Asian region, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
According to Iran’s state media, Araghchi and Lavrov discussed key regional and international issues, with a particular focus on the evolving situation in Syria, where militants have mounted a surprise offensive in Aleppo and Idlib in recent days.
Both countries reaffirmed strong support for Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasizing the importance of backing the Syrian government and military in their fight against militants, IRNA reported.
They also underscored the necessity of pursuing discussions within the framework of the Astana process, which involves coordination between Iran, Russia, and Turkey as guarantors of peace in Syria.
Araghchi stressed the need for vigilance and enhanced cooperation among Iran, Russia, and regional countries, particularly Syria’s neighbours, to thwart this conspiracy and counter the threat to the broader region, IRNA reported.
For his part, Turkish foreign minister Fidan spoke by phone with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Saturday to discuss the situation in Syria, Asharq Al-Awsat reported citing Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.
Fidan also spoke with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
The Iranian foreign minister will visit Damascus on Sunday, before visiting Turkey as part of a regional tour, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media on Saturday.
The Syrian military said on Saturday that dozens of its troops had been killed during the armed groups’ attack in northwestern Syria and that insurgents had managed to enter large parts of Aleppo city, forcing the army to redeploy.
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The Syrian military statement was the first public acknowledgement by the army that armed groups had entered the city of Aleppo in a surprise attack that began earlier this week.
“The large numbers of terrorists and the multiplicity of battlefronts prompted our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defence lines in order to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack,” the army said.
Since Wednesday, armed groups that have been clashing with regime forces in northern Syria have been advancing rapidly in both the rural areas of Idlib and Aleppo province.
On Friday, the groups entered Aleppo’s city center and reached the central districts by evening.
On Nov. 27-28, armed groups rapidly advanced from western Aleppo’s countryside toward the centre, capturing numerous areas in Idlib’s countryside.
