Russia, Türkiye and Iran redouble their diplomatic contacts in the face of the major rebel offensive in Aleppo

MADRID Nov. 30 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The top diplomatic officials of Russia, Turkey and Iran have begun this Sunday an intense round of contacts in the face of the advance of the last few hours led by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) and armed opposition movements to the Syrian Government.

The three countries are the guarantors of the so-called Astana Process, the peace initiative for Syria that is currently going through an extremely delicate process.

Russia and Iran are strategic allies of the Syrian Government but Turkey has had to come forward against accusations that Ankara is providing logistical support to the opposition groups that are attacking Aleppo and other provinces, some of them members of the coalition known as the Syrian National Army (not to be confused with the Syrian regular forces) with which it collaborates.

After first having a telephone conversation between the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, the Russian diplomat spoke this afternoon with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, in which both “expressed their utmost concern for the dangerous escalation of violence in Syria due to a terrorist attack by armed groups in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib”, where the opposition is also advancing, “and reaffirmed their firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Arab Republic Syria”.

In addition, Araqchi will begin a whirlwind tour in the next few hours, first to the Syrian capital, Damascus, this coming Sunday “to hold consultations on regional issues, especially recent events” in Aleppo, and next Monday he will travel to Ankara to discuss with Fidan about this issue in person, his department said in a statement published by the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA.