Iran official hails Sochi talks as 'significant step'

By Sahin Demir and Murat Karadag

ISTANBUL (AA) - Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the trilateral summit between Turkey, Iran and Russia in Sochi was a “significant step” towards ending the six-year Syrian conflict.

In Turkey to attend the Asia Parliamentary Assembly (APA), Larijani on Thursday told Anadolu Agency that Tehran, Ankara and Moscow “are now one step closer to reaching a common political solution to the issue of peace in Syria”.

"These three countries alone will not make decisions on behalf of the Syrian people, but their efforts will ease the process," he continued.

Emphasizing that Turkey, Iran and Russia had played a major role in wiping out the Daesh terrorist group, Larijani said: "Some countries that allegedly fight Daesh secretly support the organization."

Saying that "certain countries” support terror groups in order to destabilize the region, Larijani went on to say that these countries wasted the energy of Muslim nations.

"Turkey and Iran should warn regional countries about the conspiracies that the U.S. engages in," he added.

On Wednesday, Russian, Turkish and Iranian representatives met at the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said participants had agreed to support a Syrian “peoples’ congress” as an initial step towards establishing dialogue between the warring sides.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara