Russia will up cooperation with Iran, Turkey on Syria: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country would continue to boost cooperation with Iran and Turkey on the developments in Syria.

“We will further build our cooperation with Ankara, Tehran and other countries in the region on the Syrian question," Interfax news agency quoted the Russian foreign minister as saying on Tuesday.

He added that the trilateral cooperation had already saved lives by helping to evacuate Syria’s recently-liberated city of Aleppo.

The Syrian military announced on December 22 that it had attained full control of the strategic city of Aleppo, having completely cleansed its eastern side of militants for the first time since 2012.

The victory came about despite military support for the militants by the United States, Turkey, and some Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.

In an annual conference on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the evacuations in Aleppo would not have been possible without the help of his country, Iran, and Turkey and the goodwill of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

He also urged a nationwide ceasefire deal and said Moscow, Tehran, Ankara and Damascus had agreed to attend peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to try to resolve the conflict in Syria.

Russia has been carrying out an aerial campaign against militants in Syria, including formerly in Aleppo, on a request from the Syrian government. Iran, too, has been offering Damascus advisory military help.

‘China welcomes peace talks in Syria’

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that Beijing welcomes all efforts aimed at resuming peace talks in Syria as the “only viable solution” to the crisis in the Arab country.

“This is a consensus shared by the international community,” Hua said at a regular press conference.

She stressed that all parties involved in the Syria conflict should strive for a nationwide ceasefire, adding that the truce would guarantee the political settlement of the crisis in the war-ravaged country.

She expressed hope that all sides would seek common ground while shelving differences, work in unison, and pursue a political solution that accommodates their legitimate concerns through dialogue and consultation.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also hoped that the long-term interests of Syria and the well-being of its people would be taken into account in any decision made for the country.

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