Russia, Iran, Turkey Blast Seizure of Syrian Oilfields
NUR-SULTAN (Dispatches) -- Russia, Turkey and Iran are concerned about the increased presence of terrorist groups in Syria’s Idlib province, the three countries said after talks in Kazakhstan, pledging to coordinate actions aimed at eliminating the militants.
Moscow, Ankara and Tehran "highlighted the necessity to establish calm on the ground”, the trio said in a joint statement after the talks, also attended by representatives of the Damascus government and the Syrian armed opposition.
The three countries also said they rejected attempts to create "new realities on the ground, including illegitimate self-rule initiatives” and that they were opposed to the illegal seizure and transfer of Syrian oil revenues.
They further dismissed "separatist agendas that pose threat to the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria as well as to the national security of the neighboring countries”.
The United States and France support Kurdish militants in northern Syria in what is seen as a bid to carve out a separate territory inside the Arab country.
The U.S. military has also reinforced its position in Syria with additional assets, including mechanized forces, to prevent the Syrian government from retaking oilfields which are crucial to the war-torn country’s reconstruction.
The U.S. government has said the oil proceeds from the fields are being used to fund Kurdish militants.
Commenting on the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, the three nations said it should be governed by a sense of "compromise and constructive engagement” without foreign interference and externally imposed timelines.
Idlib remains the only large area in the hands of militants after the Syrian military brought back almost all of Syrian soil under government control.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday Idlib has been taken over by Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists, adding it has to be liberated eventually.
"The final result of the development of the situation should be complete liberation of this zone from terrorists, and restoration of legitimate government’s control over this entire territory,” he said during a press conference in Washington.
Terrorists, he said, occupied Idlib and attacked Syrian troops, civilian infrastructure and Russia’s Hmeimim airbase. Lavrov said Russian and Syrian forces have responded to the attacks, but the status quo is unsustainable.
Moscow, Ankara and Tehran "highlighted the necessity to establish calm on the ground”, the trio said in a joint statement after the talks, also attended by representatives of the Damascus government and the Syrian armed opposition.
The three countries also said they rejected attempts to create "new realities on the ground, including illegitimate self-rule initiatives” and that they were opposed to the illegal seizure and transfer of Syrian oil revenues.
They further dismissed "separatist agendas that pose threat to the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria as well as to the national security of the neighboring countries”.
The United States and France support Kurdish militants in northern Syria in what is seen as a bid to carve out a separate territory inside the Arab country.
The U.S. military has also reinforced its position in Syria with additional assets, including mechanized forces, to prevent the Syrian government from retaking oilfields which are crucial to the war-torn country’s reconstruction.
The U.S. government has said the oil proceeds from the fields are being used to fund Kurdish militants.
Commenting on the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, the three nations said it should be governed by a sense of "compromise and constructive engagement” without foreign interference and externally imposed timelines.
Idlib remains the only large area in the hands of militants after the Syrian military brought back almost all of Syrian soil under government control.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday Idlib has been taken over by Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists, adding it has to be liberated eventually.
"The final result of the development of the situation should be complete liberation of this zone from terrorists, and restoration of legitimate government’s control over this entire territory,” he said during a press conference in Washington.
Terrorists, he said, occupied Idlib and attacked Syrian troops, civilian infrastructure and Russia’s Hmeimim airbase. Lavrov said Russian and Syrian forces have responded to the attacks, but the status quo is unsustainable.