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Update: Iran welcomes peace talks on Syria

Xinhua, January 2, 2017 Adjust font size:

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday welcomed the imminent peace talks on Syria in Kazakhstan.

Rouhani expressed the hope that the upcoming international peace talks on the future of Syria in Astana of Kazakhstan would be a major step towards the resolution of conflicts in the Arab states.

Resistance against terrorism and belief in diplomacy are two major criteria in tackling the problems in the region in general and Syria in particular, the Iranian president said in a televised speech on Sunday.

The Islamic republic is following three objectives in the region, he said, adding that his country is constructively working towards stability and security in the region as they are prerequisite for the developments on the regional countries.

Terrorism is also a regional and global threat and Iran has assisted regional countries at their request, including Syria and Iraq, in their struggle against terrorism.

As the third policy of Iran in relation to the Middle East, he urged the international community to respect the sovereignty of Syria and its recognized borders, saying that Iran is, in principle, against any change of borders in the Middle East region. Endit