DUBAI, December 3. /TASS/. The destabilization of the situation in Syria is not in the interests of any Middle Eastern country. On the contrary, it poses a serious threat with the potential to spread terrorism throughout the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at the conclusion of his working visits to Damascus and Ankara.
"There were important talks with [Syrian President Bashar] Assad and a frank, constructive discussion with [Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan] Fidan. All agreed that no one benefits from another war in Syria. A conflict inevitably leads to the spread of terrorism to all neighboring countries," Araghchi wrote on his social media X page.
On December 1, Araghchi, in a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, reiterated Tehran's readiness to provide Damascus with the necessary support in its fight against terrorism and expressed confidence that the Syrian government would defeat the militants. The next day, the Iranian Foreign Minister visited Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart. Plans were announced to revive the Astana format talks, with a meeting at the ministerial level of Turkey, Iran, and Russia scheduled soon to resolve the situation in Syria.
The armed conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011. Negotiations in Astana, known as the Astana format, have been underway since 2017, with 21 meetings held so far. The Astana format includes Russia, Iran, and Turkey as guarantor countries for the process to resolve the Syrian crisis, as well as representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, the UN, and observer countries—Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.
On the morning of November 27, the extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in Russia) launched a large-scale attack in northern Syria. According to the Syrian Armed Forces’ Command, the terrorists attempted to attack villages and towns defended by the Syrian army, as well as military facilities, continuing to assault the positions of government forces. The Syrian army launched an operation to repel the raid. On November 30, the Armed Forces’ Command stated that the army was targeting the positions of terrorists who had managed to infiltrate many neighborhoods of Aleppo city and was awaiting reinforcements. According to the Defense Ministry's statement, the Syrian army was forced to regroup its forces to protect the lives of civilians and soldiers and prepare for a counterattack.