MNA Russia will continue coordination of efforts with Iran, Turkey to achieve stability and security in Syria's Idlib, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Moscow remains committed to the agreements reached by the Astana trio (Russia, Iran, Turkey) and will continue coordination with Ankara and Tehran for the sake of achieving security in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the statement, according to TASS.
"We reaffirm our commitment to the agreements reached at the Astana talks, which envisage fighting terrorist groups in Syria on the condition of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. We will maintain close coordination with our Turkish and Iranian partners for the sake of achieving lasting stability and security on the ground and advancing the political process conducted by the Syrians themselves with the assistance of the United Nations and in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2254," the statement added.
The statement also confirmed the death of Russian and Turkish military experts in Syria due to "increasing terrorist activities."
The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that over 1,400 militant attacks involving tanks, machine guns, infantry fighting vehicles, mortars and artillery took place in December 2019. Terrorists violently suppressed civilian protests and shelled humanitarian corridors to prevent civilians from leaving Idlib, the statement said.
More than 1,000 attacks have been recorded in the past two weeks alone. Hundreds of Syrian troops and civilians have been killed and wounded. Russian and Turkish military experts have died tragically. Drone attacks on Russias Hmeymim Air Base are ongoing," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
"A thing to note is that the Syrian army is fighting on its own soil against those designated as terrorists by the UN Security Council. There can be no interpretations. It is the Syrian governments right and responsibility to combat terrorists in the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized.