Tehran to Host Iran-Russia-Turkey Talks on Syria Tuesday
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran, Russia, and Turkey plan to hold a trilateral expert-level meeting in Tehran on Tuesday to exchange views about the latest efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi announced.
Delegations of military experts from Iran, Russia, and Turkey are slated to participate in the one-day talks in preparation for the next “Astana Meeting”, Qassemi said at his press conference in Tehran on Monday.
He further expressed the hope that the meeting, which would be held in continuation of the recent talks between the three countries in the Kazakh capital of Astana, would yield positive results.
The spokesman also said that representatives of Tehran, Moscow, and Ankara will once again convene in Astana on May 3 to discuss the Syrian issue.
The third round of negotiations between the Syrian government and the rebel groups was held in Astana earlier in March in pursuit of peace in the Arab country.
Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria have gained momentum in recent months with the announcement of a ceasefire in the Arab country in early January.
The truce, which was negotiated between Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Damascus government and the Syrian opposition, excludes terrorist groups such as Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
