TEHRAN – Foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Russia are going to convene on Sunday to discuss the results of expert-level talk on the settlement of Syria crisis and prepare the ground for an upcoming summit of presidents in Sochi.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu are expected to gather in the Turkish province of Antalya on November 19, Turkish sources said.
According to Tasnim news agency, the three ministers would reportedly discuss the latest developments in Syria and the outcome of several rounds of expert-level sessions, and finalize the agenda of a presidential meeting in the Russian city of Sochi.
In the summit on November 22, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan are going to meet to discuss efforts for settlement in Syria, which has been gripped by war since March 2011.
Seven rounds of peace talks have so far been held in Kazakhstan to help end the conflict in Syria. The fourth round of those talks in May produced a memorandum of understanding on de-escalation zones in Syria, sharply reducing fighting in the country.
Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria gained momentum in 2017 with the announcement of a cessation of hostilities in the Arab country in early January.
H.M