Iran's Rouhani says Syrian people to decide future of country

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that the imminent summit with his Russian and Turkish counterparts in Sochi of Russia should pave the way for a subsequent Syrian national dialogue congress about the future of the Arab state, Tasnim news agency reported.

The summit would be of great significance, given the successful results of a series of Syria peace talks brokered by Iran, Russia and Turkey, which have been in progress in Astana over the past months, Rouhani told reporters before departing for Sochi.

The Sochi Summit is taking place between two major events, he said, adding that it follows recent key victories against the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, and precedes a planned congress for talks on the future of Syria.

"It is important that consultations would be held in this summit about that congress, which should be in the Syrian people's interests eventually," Rouhani was quoted as saying.

He also expressed the hope that the final statement of the Sochi Summit would prepare the ground for a good future in Syria, stressing that the Arab country's fate should be only decided by the Syrian people, not the foreign parties.

The summit of Russian, Iranian and Turkish presidents in Sochi on Wednesday follows the three states' ceasefire initiative in war-torn Syria through Astana process.

source: xinhua