Iran May Join Quadripartite Meeting on Syria: Russian Deputy Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov announced on Thursday that Iran has expressed its desire to join a potential quadripartite meeting between the foreign ministries of Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Russia to improve the situation in the Middle East.
"The modalities of holding a quadrilateral meeting at the level of foreign ministers, involving Iran, are being worked out now. We all have a common goal to resolve the situation around Syria and stabilize the environment in the Middle East region," Bogdanov said.
The meeting aims to establish potential agreements between Ankara and Damascus, with current contacts of security forces and diplomats paving the way for potential negotiations.
The war in Syria has been ongoing since 2011, with President Bashar Assad's forces fighting various armed insurgent groups. Damascus has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria.
In 2017, Russia, Turkey, and Iran launched a mediation group on the Syrian settlement in Astana. In January 2018, the Syrian national dialogue was held in Sochi, which resulted in the creation of a Constitutional Committee tasked with preparing constitutional reform in Syria. In December 2022, the defense ministers of Russia, Syria, and Turkey held trilateral talks in Moscow to discuss ways to resolve the Syrian crisis. Ankara proposed that the foreign ministers of Turkey, Syria, and Russia hold a meeting in February 2023, possibly in a third country.