Iran's President: No country has the right to decide on Syria’s future

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The president said that Syria's future belongs to the Syrian people, stating that no country has the right to decide on the future of Syria, saying: “Territorial integrity, national sovereignty, unity and independence of Syria are very important goals that the Syrian people demand, and should be respected by everyone”.

Speaking at the end of the summit of presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia, Dr Hassan Rouhani said in a press conference on Wednesday evening: "The day when the war in Syria is over, terrorists have left the region and the gates of Syria are open on all refugees and the people of Syria are able to determine their destiny and future in a free election, is a great celebration for the region”.

Appreciating the hospitality of the Turkish government and people, Dr Rouhani referred to terrorism as a regional threat and said: "Our region has been dealing with a major scourge in recent years named terrorism; terrorists who have been trained and supported by some countries and get financial support and weapons from them”.

"Great nations like the Syrian and Iraqi people thwarted this great conspiracy with the help of their friend countries," said the president, saying that some of the major world powers, including the United States, wanted to use terrorist groups like ISIL and al-Nusra Front for years to advance their goals in the region.

Dr Rouhani said that the people of the region have now become more and more hopeful for the ongoing fight against terrorism, saying: "On the road to fighting terrorism, an assembly was held about 15 months ago in Astana, in which a process was discussed that led to a kind of ceasefire and de-escalation in four regions in Syria”.

“In this process, Russia, Turkey and Iran played a major role, and formed the first summit in Sochi in last year’s November in addition to a great number of meetings at the level of ministers, one of the important results of which was forming of the National Congress that was attended by opponents and representatives of the Syrian government in Sochi,” he continued.

Dr Rouhani added: “This was a promising step that we should continue. Since then, there have been a lot of developments in Syria, some of which are pleasant and some bitter, but I am very happy that, in general, hope in Syria has increased for peace, and Syrian refugees today have a far more promising hope to go back to their homes in the near future”.

The President expressed satisfaction on the second summit of Iran, Turkey and Russia in Ankara, saying: "In the tripartite meetings, we had very useful and clear discussions about Syria and its future, and the most happy moment was when the three countries agreed to work together to help the oppressed Syrian people and save the wounded”.

Dr Rouhani stated: "From the point of view of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has always been repeated, the Syria issue has no military solution and needs to be resolved through political means, and we must help everyone to stop the war and pursue a peaceful solution to help the refugees return to their homes”.

"The fight against terrorism must be continued and the rest of the terrorists must be driven out of Syria," said the president, pointing out that "the humanitarian situation in Syria is very horrible today and we must help people feel calm in their lives".

Stating that no country has the right to decide for the future of Syria, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran said: “The future of Syria belongs to the Syrian people, and it is them who should ultimately vote to amend the constitution and take part in a free election to decide for their own future”.

In the end, the President thanked the Turkish President once more for successful holding of the summit and expressed hope that the efforts to achieve the ultimate goal of helping the Syrian people and stability and security in the region will continue.



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