Iran slam Turkey’s ‘unconstructive’ remarks on Syria ceasefire

Iranian officials have criticised the “unconstructive” remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on violations of the Syrian ceasefire.

“Unconstructive remarks by Turkish officials will merely further complicate the current situation and add to problems in the way of a political solution to the Syrian crisis,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Bahram Qasemi said on Wednesday.

Qasemi accused Syrian opposition groups of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.

“[Turkey] should take necessary measures to deal with several instances of ceasefire violation by these groups and at the same time refrain from taking unreal stances and accusing other parties,” he said.

Qasemi said Iran, as a partner to a trilateral mechanism agreed between Tehran, Ankara and Moscow last month, stresses the implementation of the agreements and expects Turkey not to adopt stances that run counter to its commitments and the facts on the ground in Syria.

On Wednesday, Cavusoglu said that violations of the terms of the ceasefire by Syrian government forces and their allies had been registered.

Meanwhile, Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Iranian Shura Council, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, described the Turkish troops’ presence in Syria as an “occupation”.

Last week, a nationwide ceasefire deal between the Syrian government and opposition groups came into effect under Russian and Turkish auspices.