TEHRAN (Dispatches) - Iran’s foreign minister has praised the Syria-wide ceasefire deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, as a "major achievement” on the diplomatic front, saying the world must now work to target terrorism at the roots.
"Ceasefire in Syria is a major achievement. Let’s build on it by tackling the roots of extremist terror,” said Mohammad Javad Zarif on a post on his Twitter page on Thursday.
The remarks came after the Syrian army announced a nationwide ceasefire, which took effect at midnight, adding that the deal does not apply to the Takfiri Daesh and Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) terror groups as well as their affiliates.
The countrywide ceasefire came one week after the Syrian army announced full control over Aleppo when the last remaining militants were evacuated along with civilians from the eastern sector of city under a truce deal mediated by Ankara and Moscow.
On Thursday, Zarif discussed the truce with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the phone. The two sides agreed for Tehran and Moscow to hold constant consultations in preparation for the upcoming peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The top Iranian diplomat also elaborated on his thoughts about ways of tackling terrorism and extremism in an essay titled How to Handle the Enabling Conditions for Extremism and Terrorism, published in The Iranian Review of Foreign Affairs biannual political analysis publication.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirmed his participation at a trilateral meeting with Russian and Turkish counterparts to be held in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on the Syrian situation.
Rouhani welcomed the initiative for attending a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in mid-January in the Kazakh capital city, Astana, to discuss the developments in Syria and make efforts to arrive at an agreement about the future of the war-stricken country.
Last week, the Russian foreign ministry announced that the Kazakh trilateral meeting will be held with the participation of the three heads of states of Russia, Iran and Turkey.
***Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (left) and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, exchanged views about the latest developments in war-hit Syria.