Tabnak - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is in Moscow to meet his Russian and Syrian counterparts and discuss about the latest development regarding the Syrian Crisis. As the meeting is overshadowed by the recent US missile strike to Syria, the three parties are trying to consolidate their common positions regarding the country.
During today’s trilateral meeting, the participants called the recent US strike "an act of international aggression.” They also emphasized that there mustn’t be any further strike by the American against the Syrian government’s positions.
"We have reiterated our position and were united in stating that the attack was an act of aggression, which blatantly violated the principles of international law and the UN Charter,” RT quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying.
"We call on the US and its allies to respect Syria’s sovereignty and refrain from actions similar to what happened on April 7, and which have serious ramification not only for regional, but also global security,” he added.
The Russian foreign minister also warned of ongoing attempts to disrupt peace efforts in Syria, noting that "Not everybody is happy about the progress that we ensured together with our Turkish and Iranian counterparts, as well as with the Syrian government and Kazakhstan, while the United States participated as an observer at the Astana talks.”
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, for his part, said the US missile attack on the Syrian airbase was aimed at stalling the peace process in Syria.
"I view the US missile strike as an aggression, as it took place without an approval from the United Nations and without any investigation on behalf of the Organization for the OPCW, which could have identified those responsible behind the use of chemical weapons," Muallem said, according a report published by Press TV.
It should be noted that upon his arrival in Moscow earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the visit serves to enable some other bilateral coordination concerning President Hassan Rouhani’s late March visit to Russia.
At the meeting, the top Iranian diplomat emphasized the need for a political settlement of the Syrian Crisis and end to foreign meddling in the domestic affairs of the Arab country.
Zarif further called for investigations into a purported gas attack that killed over 80 people in the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria’s Idlib Province, stressing that such an attack must be used as a pretext against the Syria.
Although both Russia and Iran favor an OPCW investigation into the reported chemical attack in Idlib with the participation of specialists from different countries, the US has been insisting on its unproven claim that the Syrian government was responsible of the attack. Washington at the same time blames Moscow to objecting an independent investigation of the event.
