Iran, Russia, Turkey to Hold Trilateral Meeting on Syria

In a statement issued late on Friday, Qassemi pointed to Zarif’s intensive diplomatic efforts on the situation of Syrian civilians and many phone calls with his counterparts from Syria, Turkey and Russia in recent days and said it was agreed that on December 27, Iran, Russia and Turkey finalize a plan to hold a trilateral meeting on the ongoing crisis in Syria.

He further highlighted reasons behind the more than five-year-old conflict in the Arab country and said, “…Unfortunately, what we have witnessed over the past years (in Syria) is the result of the interference of some countries and terrorist groups trained by them.”

Qassemi denounced the recent propaganda campaign waged by some Western and Arab media outlets on the situation of civilians in Aleppo, saying that whenever terrorists in Syria suffered heavy defeats, the media outlets called for a ceasefire and protection of civilians.

The remarks came as terrorists shelled a corridor used by the Syrian government to evacuate civilians from eastern Aleppo in the Ramuse district, according to a Syrian state-run TV. Syrian army was sent to the area.

Moreover, the evacuation of militants and their families from east Aleppo has been suspended as they violated an agreement with the Syrian government by trying to take hostages with them.

More than 6000 people including militants have left eastern Aleppo in the first 24 hours of the evacuation operation, the Russian reconciliation center said Friday.