“The imperative now is to end the incursion into Syria & address all concerns through ADANA,” Zarif said in a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday night.

“Meanwhile, it is essential that the core principles of JUS IN BELLO are fully observed: distinction between civilians and combatant, & prohibition on inflicting unnecessary suffering,” he added in his tweet.

In another statement he said “Just as Iran understands the security concerns of Turkey, it not only believes that military action will not solve security concerns, but that it will bring widespread humanitarian and material damages. Iran opposes these actions.” Iran is in contact with both Syria and Turkey and stressed a “peaceful resolution that respects Syria’s territorial integrity.”

Turkey moved into northern Syria last Wednesday after US President Donald Trump pulled American troops out of the area.

According to media reports, casualties are increasing as Turkey presses on with its cross-border offensive on Kurdish-held areas of Syria.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes, amid growing international criticism of the offensive.

Iranian authorities, including President Hassan Rouhani, had urged the Ankara government to avoid taking military action in Syrian territories.

The post Syria Incursion should stop; Iran’s Top Diplomat Urges Turkey appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“That’s a better way to achieve security,” he told Turkey’s TRT World in an interview aired on October 10.

“We do not believe that security can be achieved by invading Syria, by incursion into Syria. We have better options. We have offered better options to our Turkish friends like the Adana agreement. There is an Adana agreement between Turkey and Syria which is still valid. We can help bring together the Syrian Kurds, the Syrian government and Turkey so that the Syrian Army together with Turkey can guard the border with Turkey, together with Turkey,” Zarif explained.

Also in a post on his Twitter page on Saturday, Zarif said, “The Adana Agreement between Turkey and Syria—still valid—can be the better path to achieve security. #Iran can help bring together the Syrian Kurds, the Syrian Govt, and Turkey so that the Syrian Army together with Turkey can guard the border.”

In his interview with the Turkish TV network, Zarif also said, “Today, I am saying what we need is inter-Syrian dialogue, revised constitution, and hopefully in 2021 when the time comes for election.”

“Now there is the next election and we have to prepare for it. I think the formation of the constitutional committee is very important first step, we should follow it with serious measures including moving towards less tension,” the chief diplomat stated.

Turkey launched military operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in northeast Syria on Wednesday.

‘Iran is open to talk to Saudi Arabia’

Zarif also said that Iran has always been open to talk to Saudi Arabia either directly or through intermediary.

“We’ve always been open to discussing anything with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is our neighbor. We’re going to be here together permanently. We don’t have any choice but to talk to each other and we have been open to talking to Saudi Arabia either directly or through intermediary,” the chief diplomat affirmed.

He added, “We have never rejected any intermediary from the former prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, who came to Iran and we received him with open arms, and to the foreign minister of Indonesia who came to Iran at the same time. We have always been open to mediation and we have always been open to direct talks with our Saudi neighbor.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to make a trip to Tehran on Sunday for mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

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