"Three" in hypocrisy

The first thing that is remembered in connection with this trilateral summit in this part of the world is Tehran in 1943 and the meeting of the leaders of the three allied states of the anti-Hitler coalition there. 79 years later, the leaders of another "coalition" met in Tehran, which can be conventionally called the "three dissenting."

Vladimir Putin met separately with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Then the head of state spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took part in the talks in the Russia-Iran-Turkey format, The Moscow Post correspondent reports.

At a minimum, all three participants in the meeting oppose Western sanctions, which are based on America's willfulness. At most, all three represent states, countries and cultures that side with traditional values. There are many contradictions, their first source is Syria. There are other, but controversial issues are solvable, the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey believe. And the prospects for interaction are impressive and the summit clearly demonstrated this.

Before the summit

Everything somehow coincided, by chance, or so it was necessary. In Russia, too, a lot coincided. On one day, a landmark article by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared in Izvestia about the staging of the West "on blood." The minister, in particular, said that "NATO instructors and gunners of the MLRS, apparently, are already leading the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and national battalions directly" on the ground. " But still, he left the hope that it was not too late to "play honestly, not by cheating rules, but on the basis of international law," called on the West to return to earth from a world of illusions.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense noted: "Army General Sergei Shoigu <... > gave instructions to the commander for the priority defeat by high-precision weapons of long-range missile and artillery weapons of the enemy, from which shelling of residential areas of Donbass settlements is carried out and intentional arson of fields with wheat, as well as storage facilities with grain."

Almost simultaneously, news came from Kyiv that in the near future the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive ultra-long-range shells for HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. This was stated by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Alexei Danilov. A week earlier, Verkhovna Rada deputy, member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence Fyodor Venislavsky said that Ukraine "at all levels" is negotiating with the United States on the provision of missiles with a range of 300 km.

Finally, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Iran's state radio that "there is no clear time frame for a special operation in Ukraine, it will end when all its goals are achieved." In an interview, Peskov also said that the total number of restrictions against Russia since Soviet times "is probably measured in the thousands," that "this is the price" that Russia and Iran pay for independence and sovereignty.

Closely attached to these words are the assumptions of the White House (and the threats of the US State Department) regarding the supply of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia. Moreover, if these assumptions are justified, the American side said, additional sanctions will be imposed on Russia and Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian denied these assumptions.

Based on all this, it can be assumed that, firstly, an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine cannot be avoided, although Russia does not seek this. Back on June 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the call for Kyiv to continue fighting confirms that Ukraine is simply a means to achieve its goals by the West.

Secondly, the meeting in Tehran was the first full-time summit of the Russian leader with colleagues from Iran and Turkey in three years. Vladimir Putin's visit to Iran even before the announcement of its results became an irritant for the administration of President Joe Biden.

Why is America unhappy?

The reasons for American discontent turned out to be significant, although Washington has yet to decipher the results of the visit, wondering what did not fall into the hands of correspondents. The head of the Russian state had a conversation with the spiritual leader and leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. In the conversation, Khamenei noted that the North Atlantic Alliance would start a war with Russia under the pretext of Crimea, if it had not been stopped in Ukraine.

"The US is committed to ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon," Joe Biden said, speaking at an Arab-American summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Biden believes that the decision of the administration of former US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program was a "giant mistake." "They are now much closer to nuclear weapons than they were before," he stressed.

But the Iranian authorities have announced the emergence of technical capabilities to enrich uranium suitable for the production of a nuclear bomb, but no decision has yet been made, said Kamal Harrazi, adviser to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In 2018, the US abandoned the Iran nuclear deal. Under the terms of the JCPOA, Iran pledged to stop uranium enrichment work in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.

Suffice it also to say that the parties at the summit on Syria agreed that the United States should leave Syria!

Against this background - Syria

Russian leader, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed measures to eliminate the hotbed of terrorism in Syria and issues of helping this country solve humanitarian problems. As noted in the Kremlin even before the start of the visit, the summit planned to discuss issues of the final elimination of the hotbed of international terrorism in Syria.

The previous (sixth in a row) summit of the Astana "troika" was held on July 1, 2020 online. The parties then agreed that they would gather in Tehran in person, when the epidemic situation would allow. The pandemic has retreated, and Turkey launched a new military operation in northern Syria in the first days of July with the aim of establishing control over the cities of Tall Rifat and Manbij, as well as creating a 30-kilometer security zone along the Turkish border. Erdogan intends to clean up other areas of Syria bordering Turkey.

On this occasion, the spiritual leader and leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, explained that terrorism must be resisted, but a military attack on Syria would benefit more terrorists. He stressed that the security problem should be resolved through negotiations. Iran, Turkey, Syria and Russia must jointly agree on a solution. Iran cares about the security of Turkey and believes that bilateral dialogue should be intensified and the quality of contacts should be improved.

Any attack on northern Syria would definitely hurt Turkey, Syria and the entire region, Iran's spiritual leader Ali Khamenei believes. He stated this during a conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the Iranian agency IRNA.

Ali Khamenei told Turkish President Recep Erdogan that Iran will oppose any invasion of Armenian territory and blocking the border.

The parties at the summit on Syria agreed that the United States should leave Syria, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said. The parties to the Astana format will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. This format has shown its effectiveness, work on this formula will continue, the countries of the region and the international community must help return Syrian refugees to their country, Raisi said.

And he added: "We condemn the growing number of Israeli strikes in Syria on key infrastructure, such actions violate the territorial integrity of Syria, destroy the world and threaten regional and international security."

Turkey also expects help

Erdogan, in turn, said that the guarantors of the Astana format confirmed their determination to promote a settlement in Syria, that the Astana process is an important mechanism for resolving the Syrian problem. Turkey expects help from Russia and Iran in countering terrorist groups in Syria. Humanitarian assistance to Syria is the most important task of the guarantor countries of the Astana process and Turkey expects its partners to more seriously support its efforts in protecting its security.

Erdogan stressed that Ankara has always opposed sanctions against Iran and will do so. Turkey also does not support anti-Russian sanctions. He said that he supports Iran's "legitimate expectations" in negotiations on the "nuclear deal" and calls on businesses to invest in projects in Iran. The Turkish president also said that terrorist groups in Syria receive financial support from the United States, Germany, Great Britain and France.

Vladimir Putin noted at a meeting with Erdogan that "There are many issues on the Syrian settlement, promising large bilateral projects are moving and developing. Another important issue is in our field of view - the settlement of the Karabakh problem, "Putin said.

Joint statement

The summit of the states participating in the Astana format on the settlement in Syria was useful and very meaningful. Vladimir Putin gave this assessment following a conversation with colleagues from Iran and Turkey. "In a business and constructive atmosphere... discussed in detail the key aspects of our interaction on Syria, "the Russian leader said.

"The joint statement adopted [following the summit] reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening trilateral cooperation between Russia, Iran and Turkey in the interests of achieving a sustainable and viable normalization of the situation in Syria," Putin said.

According to the Russian leader, it reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening trilateral cooperation between Moscow, Ankara and Tehran "in the interests of achieving a sustainable and viable normalization of the situation" in the SAR.

As Putin noted, the joint statement also indicates that the countries of the Astana "troika" (Russia, Iran and Turkey) agree that it is possible to fully resolve the Syrian crisis only by political and diplomatic means based on the inter-Syrian dialogue, as provided for by UN Security Council resolution 2254.

"And, of course, with strict observance of the fundamental principles of respect for sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity," he said. Putin also stressed that its citizens should determine the future of Syria without imposing any "ready-made recipes or models" from outside.

Bilateral partnerships

The two-way format was less important. "We have a big agenda," Putin told Erdogan, adding that he was glad to see him. According to the Russian leader, relations between Russia and Turkey are developing, "in spite of everything, trade is growing, and at a very significant pace." Putin also expressed satisfaction that on the sidelines of the summit of the Astana "troika" he and Erdogan have the opportunity to hold a bilateral meeting.

With Erdogan, Putin discussed key issues of Russian-Turkish cooperation, the situation with the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, topical international problems, including Ukraine. On July 13, Istanbul hosted the first quadripartite consultations between representatives of the UN, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine on the issue of unblocking Ukrainian ports for the export of agricultural products.

Issues of Russian-Iranian interaction in the economic sphere have become particularly relevant against the background of tougher Western sanctions against the Russian Federation. Vladimir Putin spoke about cooperation with Iran to strengthen international security. He focused on the record growth rates of bilateral trade.

This year, a permanent agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union on a free trade zone is to be signed. The document will replace the temporary agreement.

On the agenda of bilateral negotiations were issues of cooperation in the field of energy, trade, the economy in the context of tougher Western sanctions. Iran may increase purchases of grain, feed and oil. Russia has become the main source of grain and feed supplies for Iran, Jalali said. According to the ambassador, last year Iran imported more than 8 million tons of agricultural products from Russia.

Together with Gazprom

Gazprom, together with the Iranian National Oil Company (NIOC), signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation, including the development of joint implementation of LNG projects and the construction of gas pipelines, the Russian holding said.

"The document involves an analysis of the possibilities of interaction, in particular, in the following areas: the development of oil and gas and oil fields in Iran, the implementation of exchange operations with natural gas and oil products, the implementation of large-tonnage and low-tonnage LNG projects, the construction of trunk gas pipelines, scientific, technical and technological cooperation," - quoted by Gazprom TASS.

NIOC Executive Director Mohsen Khojastemehr reported that the parties decided to jointly develop the North Pars gas fields and the site at the field near Kish Island. According to him, the Russian side will invest $10 billion in the project. The parties also agreed on the development of six oil fields by Gazprom and the development of another project, in which "the Russian side will invest $15 billion."

Restoring the JCPOA and beyond

"Regarding the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program, our representatives are in constant contact. We consider it important to continue efforts in order to preserve the nuclear deal and create conditions for the resumption of its sustainable implementation on the basis of UN Security Council resolution 2231, "the head of the Russian state said, making a statement following the meeting of the presidents of the guarantor countries of the Astana process.

"We believe it is necessary that if the joint plan is restored, all its participants are guaranteed equal rights regarding the unhindered development of cooperation in any areas and without any discrimination," Putin stressed.

Dmitry Peskov said that Russia handed over to Iran a draft treaty on comprehensive strategic cooperation. According to him, the Russian Federation hopes that after additional amendments, taking into account the opinion of the Iranian side, will be made and agreed, it will be possible to sign the agreement.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran should be a turning point in the development of relations between the two countries. "I very much hope that your official visit to Iran will be a turning point in terms of strengthening relations between the countries on issues of both the regional and international agenda."

Photo: AP