Erdogan Calls for Participation of Iran in Planned Syria Talks with Russia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Iran could participate in the upcoming high-level negotiations between Turkey, Russia, and Syria.
"We say: let Russia-Turkey-Syria unite in a trio. Let Iran also join, let's conduct our talks this way, and let there be peace in the region," Erdogan said on Sunday, at a youth meeting in the Turkish city of Bilecik, according to Sputnik.
The first meeting between the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers in eleven years took place in December at a trilateral summit of the defense and intelligence chiefs of Russia, Turkey, and Syria in Moscow.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, and Erdogan expressed their approval of the December negotiations over the phone at the beginning of January.
In their conversation on January 16, Putin and his Turkish counterpart spoke on a variety of topics, including Ankara's desire to start negotiations with representatives from Russia, Turkey, and Syria.
According to the Kremlin, the Astana process's cooperative work by Russia, Turkey, and Iran to advance a Syrian settlement was also highlighted for its practical importance.