The diplomats held a tripartite summit on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York amid ongoing diplomatic push to tackle crisis in the war-ravaged country. UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen was also present at the talks, which took place at the permanent mission of Iran to the UN.

Amir Abdollahian wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, he discussed the issue of Syrian refugees with the UN special envoy for Syria as well as his Russian and Turkish counterparts.

Iran’s foreign minister said he had condemned “inhumane sanctions” in place against Syria and called on the international community to continue to help reduce the suffering of the Syrian people.

“I condemned inhumane sanctions, and stressed the need for the international community to continue to take its responsibility to reduce the suffering of the Syrian people. I announced the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for assistance to return the refugees,” he added.

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Speaking at the summit, Amir Abdollahian also lambasted the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria, attributing part of the misery inflicted on the Syrian people to the unilateral Western sanctions and the looting of Syria’s assets and natural resources, which have markedly targeted the nation’s women and children among others.

He denounced the anti-Syria sanctions as “illegal” and stressed the need for their complete removal.

The top Iranian diplomat further said reconstruction of war-torn Syria should not be treated as a tool in order to exert pressure on the Damascus government, adding that resolution of the Syrian refugee crisis requires recovery of essential infrastructure and availability of water, electricity and other services to all.

He also emphasized that the international community must assume its responsibility to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian nation.

“We (the parties) view the unilateral sanctions imposed against Syria as a violation of the international and humanitarian law, the UN Charter, and an obstacle to the distribution of aid among Syrian locals and refugees,” Amir Abdollahian stated, noting that they also “support the safe, honorable and voluntary return of Syrian refugees and restoration of their rights".

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He also stressed the need for political dialogue on the Syrian crisis under the auspices of the United Nations, reiterating unwavering support for the fight against terrorism and extremism in Syria.

The Iranian minister also emphasized that parties will continue their cooperation to counter the threat of terrorism at the same time as respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

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Iran, Russia and Turkey set up the Astana peace process in January 2017 to put an end to the Syria conflict through the involvement of warring sides in the Arab country. The three countries have held several rounds of talks.

Since 2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy, as a result of which Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and other terror groups emerged in the country. Syria has been a target of United States sanctions since 1979. The US and its Western allies imposed more such bans on Damascus after 2011.

With support from both Iran and Russia, the Damascus government has regained control of most of Syria from terror groups that were backed by regional countries now seeking dialogue with President Assad.

Iran maintains an advisory mission in Syria at the request of Damascus with the aim of helping the war-ravaged country get rid of the foreign-backed militants who have been fighting against the democratically-elected Syrian government since 2011. Several members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have so far martyred in battle against terrorists in the war-torn Syria.

Tehran has stressed that Washington’s claim of war on terrorism is merely a pretext to continue occupying the Arab country and plundering its wealth, calling on foreign occupation forces and their mercenaries to leave the war-ravaged country.