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Putin, Rouhani call for full implementation of Astana agreements on Syria

The Russian and Iranian Presidents viewed in detail developments in Syria in the context of increasing tensions in the Idlib de-escalation zone

MOSCOW, February 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani discussed in a phone call the Syria crisis in the wake of an escalation in the Idlib de-escalation zone, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday.

"[The two presidents] viewed in detail developments in Syria in the context of increasing tensions in the Idlib de-escalation zone. They shared the same opinion that the Astana agreements, primarily related to the war on terror under [the condition of] respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, need to be implemented in full," the statement says.

The phone call was requested by the Iranian side, the Kremlin said.

The latest, or 14th, round of Astana peace talks by Russia, Turkey and Iran took place in Nur-Sultan on December 10-11, 2019. The meeting’s participants hailed the start of the Syrian constitution committee’s work in Geneva and denounced illegitimate attempts to establish self-governance in northeast Syria under the pretext of countering terrorism.

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