Iran, Russia and Turkey hold Syria talks in Astana
Astana, Kazakhstan, (MILLAT ONLINE):The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey were locked in talks on Syria in Kazakhstan Friday,
almost a month after the Moscow and Tehran-backed regime began pounding an opposition enclave
just outside of Damascus.
The dire humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of the Syrian capital, is likely to be
on the agenda as Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran, Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Mevlut Cavusoglu of
Turkey convened in the Kazakh capital Astana Friday.
A Russian foreign ministry statement said “the situation ‘on the ground’ will be considered” at
talks, as well as “successes and difficulties in the process of de-escalation”.
The meeting is expected to lay ground for a summit involving the presidents of the three countries
in Istanbul on April 4.
A spokesman for Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry confirmed Friday that talks were beginning as
scheduled at 0500 GMT.
More than 340,000 people have been killed since Syria’s brutal civil war started in 2011. It
has since spiralled into a complex conflict involving multiple world powers.