The summit was aimed at assessing the developments in Syria, Idlib in particular, as well as ending the climate of conflict, ensuring the necessary conditions for the voluntary return of refugees and discussing the joint step to be taken in the period ahead with the aim of achieving a lasting political solution.
The summit was hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the participation of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. All three leaders will hold bilateral talks ahead of a trilateral summit.
The first summit by the three leaders was held in November 2017 under the Astana Process format, and the last took place in Moscow in February 2019. Erdoğan and Putin held a bilateral meeting in mid-August to discuss the military campaign by the Syrian regime forces in Idlib.
A statement by the Kremlin suggested that the summit was to observe “further joint efforts on reaching a long-term settlement in the Syrian Arab Republic.”
“The participants plan to discuss, in part, measures on finally eliminating the terrorist threat in Idlib and the northwest of Syria, promoting the political process, primarily in the context of forming and launching the Constitutional Committee, and resolving humanitarian issues, including steps to facilitate the return of refugees and IDPs (internally displaced persons),” said the statement.
The three members of the Astana Process expected to give priority to the situation in Idlib on which they diverge broadly.
Before the three-way meeting, President Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan met and held talks in Ankara on Monday ahead of the Iran-Russia-Turkey trilateral summit on Syria.
Erdoğan greeted Rouhani at the Beştepe Presidential Palace Complex in Ankara and the two leaders proceeded to a closed-door meeting, in which bilateral relations, as well as regional and international developments, are expected to be discussed, the Daily Sabah reported.
Rouhani stressed that the cooperation of the 3 countries of Iran, Turkey and Russia as the guarantor states of the Astana process has made Syria more secure.
Rouhani went on to say that fortunately, relations between Iran and Turkey have always been cordial and fraternal, and the two governments and the people of the two countries stand together in different situations.
The president praised the Turkish government’s clear stance on US cruel sanctions against Iran, and stated that Iran and Turkey will continue their all-out economic relations despite difficulties.
Referring to the cooperation between the two countries and the expansion of trade cooperation between the two countries using the national currency in the Tehran-Ankara economic relations, high-ranking official underscored that Iran is welcoming the presence of Turkish investors and private sector in implementing joint projects.
The holding of the 27th Joint Commission on Cooperation between Iran and Turkey in the coming days will be a very important opportunity for further development of mutual cooperation in different fields, the President went on to say.
Meanwhile later President Rouhani net his Russian counterpart Putin and both sides conferred latest developments in bilateral relation and in the region.
