Iran Playing Very Constructive Role in Syria: Finnish Analyst

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Finnish political economist and author hailed a recent meeting of the presidents of Iran, Russia, and Turkey in Tehran about the Syrian crisis and said the Islamic Republic has played “a very constructive role” in the Arab country.

“Iran is playing a very constructive role in Syria which the Tehran summit again reaffirmed,” Jon Hellevig said in an interview with Tasnim.

“Iran’s brave stance in being the first country to jump to Syria’s defense must actually be seen in the bigger picture of protecting world freedom,” he added. 

Jon Krister Hellevig is a Finnish lawyer and businessman who has worked in Russia since the early 1990s. Hellevig was a candidate in the European parliament election in 2014. He is the managing partner of the Moscow-based law company Hellevig, Klein & Usov. Hellevig has written several books, including Avenir Guide to Russian Taxes (2002, 2003, 2006 English and Russian editions); Avenir Guide to Labor Laws (2002, 2003, 2006 English and Russian editions). Expressions and Interpretations, a book on the philosophy of law and the development of Russian legal practices; Hellevig takes actively part in public discussion of current affairs and social structure contributing with articles and commentary in the media. He regularly lectures at international seminars on various topics.

Following is the full text of the interview:

Tasnim: As you know, a trilateral summit was held in Tehran on Friday between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about the Syrian crisis. According to Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi, the summit was not expected to resolve all issues surrounding the prolonged crisis in Syria but it aimed to facilitate more steps to combat terrorism and restore tranquility to the Arab country. What do you think about the success of the summit as well as Iran’s regional role?

Hellevig: Iran is playing a very constructive role in Syria which the Tehran summit again reaffirmed. Iran’s brave stance in being the first country to jump to Syria’s defense must actually be seen in the bigger picture of protecting world freedom. If Syria had fallen, then the New World Order project of the US elites would have taken a giant step forward. Russia would have been immediately threatened. Good thing that Russia realized that before it was too late and joined Iran in the defense of Syria. The most important outcome of the summit – of what we can know in public – is that it shows that Iran and Russia are now strategic allies in the Middle East.

Tasnim: The tripartite talks came as Syrian forces continue to reclaim much of southern parts of the country and are poised to soon launch an offensive in Idlib, one of the last remaining areas outside of Damascus’ control. What is your assessment of the summit’s impact on the military developments in Syria?

Hellevig: The wild card here is Erdogan. I have tried hard to get to the bottom of where Turkey stands on Idlib, have read up to see what the other important geopolitical observers have made of that, but preciously little of weight has been said on the topic. We simply don’t know. Well, actually we know what is Erdogan’s position – to retain a foothold in Idlib – but we don’t know if he is willing to back off for the sake of larger geostrategic considerations. Russia and Iran will walk the extra mile to get Erdogan on board, but at the end of the day, Idlib must – and will - be freed.

Tasnim: During his remarks at the summit, President Rouhani deplored the Washington government’s negative role in the ongoing crisis in Syria and said the “illegal” military presence of the US will only “increase the problems that already exist in the country”. What do you think about the US military presence and its bonds with terror groups in Syria?

Hellevig: The whole Syrian war is a witch’s brew concocted by the United States, Israel and their Saudi ally. They were pursuing two parallel goals, to get hegemonic control of the Middle East to neutralize Iran and extend the US encirclement of Russia from that direction, and to pursue the Greater Israel project by invading parts of Syria and eventually Lebanon. I would rather consider the terrorists there as US mercenaries, mercenary terrorists. Naturally, most of the rank and file terrorists in their stupidity would not understand that they are pawns in the great game, but their leaders obviously do. The US has organized, controlled, aided and abetted the various terrorist groups in the quest to destroy Syria for the sake of US geopolitics and Israel enlargement. That’s what I think about the US bonds to these terror groups, their guys. If somebody was still skeptical about that, then the pathetic support by the US to the terrorists entrenched in Idlib should dispel the last doubts.

At the same time as the mercenary terrorists have been doing America’s bidding in Syria, they have also served as the pretext for the US military to illegally occupy parts of Syria, supposedly for the purpose of fighting these same terrorists. Sardonically saying, they have had surprisingly little success in that. The terrorists thrived there and gained ground, until Russia came and wiped them out just like that.

Tehran Summit: Putting the Last Nail in the Coffin of Terrorists in Syria

TEHRAN (FNA)- The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey are meeting for a third summit in Tehran to end the Syrian conflict.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian and Turkish counterparts Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also scheduled to have bilateral talks on the sidelines of the tripartite summit on Friday, September 7. The three presidents previously met in the Russian resort city of Sochi and the Turkish capital Ankara, where they discussed developments in Syria, among other things.

A major item on this summit agenda is the terror-held Northwestern province of Idlib which President Bashar al-Assad wants to recapture. Iran and Russia are the main allies of the Damascus and their military support tipped the balance of the seven-year war in government’s favor. Turkey has backed rebels seeking to oust the government but since late 2016 it has been working closely with Iran and Russia to avoid the fate of Qatar and Saudi Arabia who have been excluded from the equation in Syria, and maintain its presence on the stage.

At any rate, the three leaders have agreed to consider further joint efforts to ensure long-term normalization of the situation in the Arab country. This includes bilateral talks and discussing further measures aimed at finally liquidating the hotbed of international terrorism in Syria, where according to the United Nations the conflict has killed more than 400,000 people since 2011, and made millions more refugees.

The discussions further look at promoting the process of a political settlement with the opposition groups (not Salafi, Takfiri, Wahhabi terrorists), including creating the conditions for the return of refugees and the internally displaced. Unlike the United States and its allies which seek to prolong the war, Rouhani, Putin and Erdogan back Syria peace talks based in the Kazakh capital of Astana (Astana Process), aimed at reinforcing, rather than undermining, a parallel UN peace process in Geneva.

On the other hand, Iran and Russia could speed up normalization of the situation in Syria through Turkey's companionship. The good news is that Turkey is looking for new allies and is in the anti-US camp. Turkey has come so close to Iran that it has informed Washington of its defiance of the US sanctions policy against Tehran. Ties are also warming between Turkey and Russia, even though they supported opposing sides in the war and Turkey shot down a Russian warplane before. Now thanks to the Tehran Summit, Erdogan backs an Iranian-Russian truce plan for four areas in Syria, and has sent troops to assist in its execution. All in all, the Friday summit means collaboration because of common interests among Iran, Russia and Turkey happening at the right time and the right place.

They meet at a sensitive time. Defying Trump, Russian air strikes have resumed against Qaeda-allied rebels in Northwestern Idlib province. The Syrian Army is also preparing a phased offensive to regain the "nest of terrorists". The province and surrounding areas is the last major enclave held by Qaeda-allied insurgents fighting the Syrian government, such as the Nusra Front.

With the foreign-backed terrorist groups still operating there, the government cannot start rebuilding the country. Damascus cannot put in place the legal and regulatory authorities to implement its vision of reconstruction as a process of stabilization when the country is still in the midst of various regional and international tensions and rivalries. With its military victory close at hand in Idlib, the government can use reconstruction to re-impose law and order.

For all intents and purposes, the Tehran Summit means the structure, governance and organization of post-conflict reconstruction in Syria are settled issues. The government has consolidated its dominance over the levers of reconstruction, rendering it virtually impervious to external pressure. The American hope, however modest, that its terror proxies in Idlib might someday set the stage for external actors to engage in partition programming in Syria, or through interventions influence the course of reconstruction and political process, is deeply misguided and out of picture now. 

In brief, much has been accomplished this year in the campaign against terrorism in Syria. This struggle will require further vigilance, perseverance and sacrifice on the part of all parties involved. The Tehran Summit will help end the seven-year conflict and liquidate the hotbed of international terrorism in embattled Syria.

At the same time, it will help normalize the situation, promote the process of a political settlement, create the conditions for the return of refugees and internally displaced, herald international reconstruction support and funds, and take away any remaining pretext for the United States and its allies to occupy the country further and destabilize the entire region for some illicit interests and designs.