Turkey, Russia and Iran pledge Wednesday to speed up efforts to ensure calm on the ground and fight against separatism in Syria. (Xinhua Photo)

ANKARA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkey, Russia and Iran stressed their determination to speed up efforts to "ensure calm on the ground and fight against separatism in Syria," said a joint statement released after the trilateral summit on Wednesday.

The Turkish, Russian and Iranian presidents "vowed their joint resolve to speed up efforts to ensure calm on the ground and protect civilians in the de-escalation areas, as well as to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to these areas," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the three countries expressed their determination to stand against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of neighboring countries.

The leaders "reject all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism," added the statement.

The presidents "underlined that the Astana format had been the only effective international initiative that had helped reduce violence across Syria and had contributed to peace and stability in Syria, giving impetus to the Geneva process in order to find a lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict."

A tripartite summit on Syria was held in Turkish capital Ankara on Wednesday with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

The closed-door meeting lasted around one hour and 40 minutes, during which the leaders discussed steps that will be taken in the coming days to resolve the Syrian crisis.

The first such tripartite summit was held in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi on Nov. 22, 2017 to discuss progress made in the Astana peace talks and changes in Syria's de-escalation zones.