News / Syria / Turkey

Turkey, Iran, Russia to decide who will participate in Syria talks

Friday, 24 November 2017 6:09 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 24 November 2017 7:01 PM ]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (Photo by AFP)

Ankara says Turkey, Iran, and Russia are to decide who will participate in the peace talks on Syria.

The onus is upon the three countries to decide together who will join the peace talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara on Friday.

An all-Syrian congress is to be held in the near future to determine the fate of the country and pave the way for the drafting of a new constitution and elections.

The three countries joined efforts in late 2016 with the aim of returning peace to the crisis-hit Syria. Russia and Iran were allied with the Damascus government, while Turkey supported the anti-Damascus front. Since then, the three neighboring counties have taken successful strides on the path to peace, mediating talks between the Syrian government and the foreign-backed opposition.

The talks have led to the establishment of four de-escalation zones across Syria with Turkey, Iran and Russia playing the role of the guarantors of a ceasefire that took effect in Syria late last year.

In trilateral talks between the presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey on the Syria crisis in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Wednesday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani declared that following the defeat of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, its sponsors were now seeking to create new tensions and cast doubt on the peace efforts carried out by regional countries.