Russia Wants Iran To Play Role In Solving Syria Crisis, Take Part In Vienna Talks

Russia wants Iran to be a part of the international peace talks to deal with the Syria crisis.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, in a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, talked about the major role Iran played to end the political unrest in Syria. He said the Islamic republic should take part in the next round of peace talks in Vienna, Austria.

Senior diplomats from a number of countries were present at the first round of the peace talks held on Oct. 30. Envoys from the European Union and the United Nations, along with Iranian diplomats, were also present at the event.

According to IRNA, the senior diplomats also talked about possible measures to facilitate intra-Syrian dialog so that foreign forces could not meddle with the situation. They stressed on the need for various Syrian organizations to be a part of the national negotiations.

While Russia insists on Iran’s participation in the peace efforts in Syria, The Guardian reported that the Islamic republic is recruiting Afghan refugees to fight in Syria. The refugees are promised residence permits and monthly salaries in an apparent effort to protect the Assad regime.

The largest foreign military fighting for Syrian President Bashar Assad is Hezbollah. However, the Fatemioun military division of Afghan refugees living in Syria and Iran happens to be the second largest after the Lebanese militia.

While countries like Russia and Iran want Assad to remain in power, Western powers like the United States and Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia believe the Syrian president should not be a part of Syria’s future.

Bogdanov and Abdollahian also discussed about the Yemen crisis which, along with the Syria crisis, should immediately be sorted out, they said. The Saudi military has been launching air strikes in Yemen since March.