Rouhani, Putin Stress Need for Cooperation to Settle Syria Crisis

In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Rouhani and Putin attached great significance to cooperation on resolving the Syrian crisis and fighting terrorism, according to a statement published on the Kremlin’s website.

“The importance of further joint work was noted between Russia and Iran on issues of settling the Syrian crisis, including the decisive fight against Daesh (ISIL), al-Nusra Front and other terrorist organizations included in the sanctioned list of the UN Security Council,” the statement said.

“They focused on the Syrian problems, in particular the discussion of the initiatives and proposals contained in the Joint Statement of Russia and the United States on the cessation of hostilities in Syria,” it added.

It came after Russia and the US reached a draft deal on Monday, detailing a ceasefire to start in war-torn Syria on Saturday.

Syria has been entangled in civil war since March 2011, with Takfiri terrorist groups like Daesh controlling parts of it, mostly in the east.

According to a new report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.