Turkey, Russia, Iran commit to Syrian unity

The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran say they stand against “separatist” agendas that would undermine Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a joint statement released at the end of their summit meeting in Ankara, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan say they “rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism.”

They reaffirm their commitment to working toward achieving ceasefires between conflicting parties in Syria and emphasized commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.

The statement says the countries reaffirmed determination to continue cooperation “in order to ultimately eliminate” the Islamic State group and other entities associated with al-Qaeda.

The leaders said their next summit meeting would take place in Iran.

— AP