Iran to join talks on Syrian-Turkish rapprochement – Russia’s FM
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday there was an agreement in principle for Iran to join the rapprochement process between Syria and Turkey, in which Russia is also taking part.
“There is a principle agreement to engage Iran in the trilateral discussions among Russia, Turkey and Syria,” Lavrov said in a briefing, following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Moscow on Tuesday.
Late in December 2022, a trilateral meeting took place between defense ministers of Turkey, Syria and Russia in Moscow, marking the first meeting between Syria and Turkey since start of Syrian war in 2011.
“Russia supports Ankara’s interest in improving relations with Damascus and will develop work in this regard,” Lavrov added.
Syria and Turkey have been foes for the last 11 years, after Ankara started backing the Syrian opposition and its armed factions that have attempted to overthrow the Syrian government.
On January 12, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said that he would meet his Syrian and Russian counterparts respectively in early February.
The news came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed about the possibility that Iran may join talks on normalizing ties between Syria and Turkey which Russia has been exerting efforts to reach.
Erdogan, at a televised meeting with the youth, said, “Iran may also join the trilateral talks between Russia, Syria and Turkey.”