Russia will host a four-way meeting on Wednesday and Thursday between Türkiye, the Syrian regime and Iran, diplomatic sources speaking to Turkish media outlets announced Monday.
Türkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar will lead the Turkish delegation for two-day talks to normalize relations between Türkiye and the Syrian regime. Mikhail Bogdanov, deputy foreign minister of Russia who also serves as Putin’s special representative for the Middle East, will represent the Kremlin. Ali Ashgar Khaji, political affairs adviser to the Iranian foreign minister, will represent Tehran. Ayman Sousan, deputy foreign minister of the Assad regime, will also participate in the talks.
Last week, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced that a Turkish delegation would visit Moscow for technical talks ahead of a planned Turkish, Russian, Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers’ meeting.
“The Iranian side will also attend this meeting. At this meeting, preparations for the foreign ministers’ meeting will be made,” Çavuşoğlu said at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in the capital Ankara.
On Dec. 28, 2022, the Turkish, Russian and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow to discuss counterterrorism efforts in Syria. They agreed to continue the tripartite meetings to ensure stability in Syria and the wider region. About the possibility of the inclusion of Iran into the talks, Türkiye previously said Ankara would be “pleased if Iran is involved in this process.”
Although no date or location has been announced, the foreign ministers’ meeting would mark another high-level talk since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.
