Moscow, Tehran and Ankara want immediate end to fighting in Syria, Russia's FM says
The guarantors of the Astana format pledged their continued support for Syria's unity at a meeting in Doha.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that he and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran had agreed in a meeting in Doha that there had to be an immediate end to "hostilities" in Syria.
Lavrov said Moscow wanted to see dialog between the Syrian government and what he called the "legitimate opposition" in Syria.
He said the Islamist insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) were "terrorists" regardless of whether they said they had changed their views.
"It's inadmissible to allow the terrorist group to take control of the lands in violation of agreements," the Russian diplomat said.
Astana format backs Syrian unity
Asked how the situation in Syria would develop and what would happen to Russian military bases there, Lavrov said he was "not in the business of guessing."
Lavrov added that extremism will breed in the Middle East unless a Palestinian state is created.
Additionally, the importance of restarting the Syrian political process was stressed at the same meeting, a Turkish foreign ministry source said, adding that the meeting was constructive.
"Support for Syria's territorial integrity and political unity was declared" at the meeting, attended by the countries' foreign ministers in what is known as the Astana format.
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