Iran welcomes thaw in Syria's diplomatic relations

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Thursday welcomed the recent thaw in Syria’s regional and international diplomatic relations and called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from the war-torn country.

“We welcome the improvement of Syria's diplomatic relations in the region and the world, especially with brotherly Arab countries, in a way that guarantees Syria's security, stability and prosperity,” Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, said during a Security Council briefing on the situation in Syria. Iran has been a staunch supporter of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Iravani said that the situation in Syria remains challenging particularly following February’s disastrous earthquakes that rocked both Syria and Turkey, and voiced concern about funding for the humanitarian response.

Hampered by sanctions, global aid was slow to reach quake-hit Syria, compared to neighboring Turkey. Prior to the earthquakes, just one border crossing between Turkey and northwest Syria was open to humanitarian aid. The Syrian government said it would approve delivery of aid to rebel-held areas and the United States paused some sanctions for six months in order to not impede humanitarian access.

The earthquake was a catalyst for Arab efforts towards normalizing relations with Assad, led by Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian envoy also criticized the international community’s sanctions against Syria, saying they impede the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the country.

“The continuation of the unilateral punishments forms a large obstacle before the improvement of the humanitarian and economic situation in Syria. These illegal measures had a destructive effect on the economy and the people’s living standard, and limited the government’s ability to provide basic services,” he said.

The Council of the European Union earlier this week slapped new sanctions on individuals and entities with alleged links to the Syrian government. The sanctions were strongly condemned by Damascus as a threat to people’s livelihoods.

Iravani also called for the complete and immediate withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria, saying their presence in the country is a violation of the UN charter and the main reason for the lack of security.

Hundreds of US troops stationed in Syria are part of an international coalition that has fought alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State.

Turkey also has troops on the ground in the northwest where they back opposition groups. Their withdrawal was discussed on Tuesday during a meeting with representatives of Syria, Turkey, Russia, and Iran in Moscow.

Iran welcomes thaw in Syria's diplomatic relations

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