Turkish Foreign Minister: Iran Must Stop Violating Ceasefire in Syria

On Wednesday, January 4, the Turkish Foreign Minister called on Iran to pressure Shia militants and the Syrian government to cease violations of the ceasefire in the country. He warned that this situation jeopardizes peace talks. In a television interview with the state news agency Anadolu, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that Turkey is working with Russia on imposing sanctions on those who violate the ceasefire agreement in Syria. He cautioned that the peace negotiations, organized by Russia and scheduled to take place in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, could fail if the increasing ceasefire violations do not stop. Iran, Russia, and the Lebanese Hezbollah group support the government of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, while Turkey, along with some Gulf Arab countries, supports the Syrian rebels. The Syrian peace talks are scheduled for January 23 of this year, and according to the Turkish Foreign Minister, the groundwork has been prepared by Russian and Turkish experts in Turkey. Reports indicate that despite Iran's comprehensive support for Bashar al-Assad's government and cooperation with Russia in the Syrian civil war, it has been sidelined from the Astana negotiations to date. The Associated Press reports that the Syrian government and its allies have begun operations to retake the 'Barada Valley' outside Damascus from the rebels, despite the ceasefire agreed upon in late 2016. The Assad opposition has also retaliated by shelling or attacking government-controlled areas in other parts of the country. The opposition has also accused Damascus of conducting airstrikes on Idlib, a province controlled by rebels, resulting in hundreds of thousands of people being displaced. The Syrian ceasefire was established to facilitate negotiations between the Syrian government and its opponents and is considered the most significant diplomatic action regarding this country's crisis in the past year. The Turkish Foreign Minister also mentioned that he received assurances from Russia that the Syrian Kurdish fighters known as the 'People's Protection Units' would not be invited to the Astana talks. Turkey has designated this group as a terrorist organization. The People's Protection Units control a large portion of the Syrian-Turkish border areas. This group receives military support from the U.S. and is considered the most effective ground force in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). In this context, the Security Council unanimously approved the ceasefire agreement in Syria. Hundreds of civilians have fled from areas around Damascus. Continued attacks by the Syrian army around Damascus have led some rebels to withdraw from peace negotiations. Russia does not consider its relationship with Iran to be 'strategic.'