Israel strikes in Syria are destabilising: Turkey, Iran, Russia

 Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Hassan Rouhani

02 July 2020; MEMO: Israel’s military attacks in Syria violate the country’s sovereignty and spark tensions in the region, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Hassan Rouhani of Iran, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said in a joint statement following the online Astana summit yesterday.

According to the statement, the three presidents reaffirmed the necessity to respect universally recognised international legal decisions.

In the joint declaration following a closed meeting, the three said they “consider Israeli military attacks in Syria as destabilizing and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country and intensifying the tension in the region,” according to Republic of Turkey Directorate of Communication.

The three also rejected US recognition of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as Israeli, saying the March 2019 decision was a grave violation of international law and threatens regional peace and security.

Yesterday’s Astana Summit is the first since September in which the three powers, as the guarantors for peace talks in Syria, discussed developments and gathered to find a concrete solution in Syria, where the conflict has entered its tenth year.