FILE PHOTO: Presidents Putin of Russia, Erdogan of Turkey and Rouhani of Iran pose following a joint news conference in Ankara
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The presidents of Russia, Iran, and Turkey will hold a video conference on Wednesday to discuss the conflict in Syria, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
In Syria’s nine-year war, Russia and Iran are the main foreign supporters of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, while Turkey backs opposition fighters. Under a diplomatic process dating back to 2017, they agreed to work to de-escalate fighting.
Wednesday’s talks between Vladimir Putin, Hassan Rouhani, and Tayyip Erdogan were scheduled for around 1100 GMT, the Kremlin said.
After an escalation of violence displaced nearly a million people, Turkey and Russia agreed in March to halt hostilities in northwest Syria’s Idlib region. This month military jets bombed villages in the rebel-held area.
Two weeks ago, Russia and Turkey postponed bilateral ministerial-level talks which were expected to focus on Syria and Libya, another country where they support opposing sides.
(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Writing by Daren Butler in Turkey; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Peter Graff)
Source: https://www.metro.us/russia-turkey-iran-leaders/
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