Iran, Russia Discuss US Exit from Syria

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Jaberi Ansari met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev to discuss the withdrawal of US forces from Syria, Tass reported.

According to the statement, the diplomats also talked about ways to proceed with the political settlement of the crisis in Syria, and some other regional issues that are being considered by the UN Security Council.

"The parties thoroughly discussed the current situation in Syria in light of the US plans to pull troops out of the country. In this regard, they reaffirmed commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity," the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement said.

It also noted that the Russian and Iranian diplomats explored avenues to advance the political processes for settling the conflicts, particularly by launching Syria’s constitutional committee, and have also discussed the crisis in Yemen.

"The meeting’s participants paid special attention to developments in Yemen. They expressed support for United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths’s efforts aimed at resolving the conflict through political means," the statement added.

During his two-day visit to Moscow, Jaberi Ansari also met with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin for talks on Syria.

Syria was gripped by a civil war in March 2011, which turned later into a large-scale foreign-backed militancy involving various terrorist groups.

Iran and Russia have remained close allies of Syria and supported its legitimate government in the face of terrorist groups like Daesh (ISIL or ISIS).

The Syrian army and its allies defeated Daesh in 2017 after years of war.

In the meantime, political efforts are underway to settle the outstanding conflicts in the Arab country.

Iran, Russia and Turkey have launched a peace initiative known as the Astana process to end the war in Syria.