Iran, Russia, Turkey to Discuss Syria Situation

According to Russian foreign ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian and Turkish counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu will hold the online meeting on April 22, TASS reported.

"We confirm that trilateral ministerial Astana peace talks on Syria will be held on April 22 via video conference," the ministry said.

On Monday, during a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, Zarif announced that the trilateral talks will focus on Syria’s constitutional committee as well as the latest developments in the province of Idlib.

The Astana peace talks, which have usually involved delegations from the Syrian government and opposition, began in January 2017 with the mediation of Russia and Iran, Syria's allies, as well as Turkey, which backs several armed opposition groups operating against Damascus. Together, the three countries have been acting as guarantor states for the peace process.

The latest round of the talks took place on December 10-11, 2019 in Nur-Sultan. The next meeting was planned for March 2020, however, it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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