Iran’s top diplomat: Tehran, Moscow pave way for negotiation process in Syria

Iran and Russia paved the way for the negotiation process in Syria, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said upon arrival in Moscow for a four-party meeting with his counterparts from Russia, Syria and Türkiye.  

"The diplomatic efforts of Tehran and Moscow, aimed at preventing more military clashes [on the Syrian-Turkish border], made it possible to launch a negotiation process. The parties pointed out at their Astana format meeting in Tehran last year that contradictions between Türkiye and Syria needed to be resolved politically," Amir-Abdollahian said, TASS reports.

He also expressed hope that the Moscow talks would create conditions for the return of Syrian refugees to their home country and the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

Consultations between the defence ministers of Russia, Syria and Türkiye took place in Moscow on December 28, 2022, as part of efforts to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus. The meeting’s participants reached an agreement to create a trilateral commission.

A meeting between the three countries’ top diplomats was expected to follow the consultations to discuss the possibility of talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Later reports said that the foreign ministers’ consultations would also involve Iran.

Türkiye’s top diplomat Melvut Cavusoglu said on May 3 that a four-party meeting between the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria might take place in Moscow on May 10.