The terms and modalities of the meeting of the heads of the foreign ministries of Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran are being worked out, said Mikhail Bogdanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia.
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And how likely is a direct clash between the armies of the two countries
“On the agenda now is the organization of a meeting of the heads of foreign affairs agencies in a quadripartite format. Its modalities and terms are being worked out,” he said in an interview with TASS.
The diplomat recalled how Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a press conference in Moscow with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri, expressed support for Iran’s participation in the work to promote the normalization of interstate relations between Syria and Turkey. According to Bogdanov, this would make it possible to use the potential accumulated within the framework of the Astana process that has proven its effectiveness.
On December 28, 2022, consultations were held in Moscow between the heads of the defense ministries of Russia, Syria and Turkey. The Russian Defense Ministry noted that they discussed ways to resolve the Syrian crisis and the problem of refugees, joint efforts to combat extremist groups on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.
On December 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed holding a trilateral meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. According to him, the President of the Russian Federation reacted positively to this.
On December 2, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there is a potential opportunity for negotiations between the Syrian leader and Erdogan through the mediation of Russia, and Moscow is ready to contribute to this.
On November 20, Ankara launched an air operation against the Syrian wing of the banned PKK. The country’s armed forces carried out strikes in four regions of Syria and one region of Iraq. The Turkish Ministry of Defense explained that the operation is being carried out in response to the explosion that thundered in Istanbul on November 13.