Erdogan says more countries could join Astana peace process on Syria

ANKARA, April 10. /TASS/. The Astana peace process on Syria, which currently brings together Russia, Turkey and Iran, could also involve Germany, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and China, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters shortly after his visit to Moscow, where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "There might be further steps in the future to strengthen the Astana process even more," the Turkish president was quoted by the Daily Sabah newspaper as saying. Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Germany and even China, as Russia mentioned earlier, could join the process, he noted. "This way the decisions that are reached there [as part of the Astana process] can be more powerful in Geneva and internationally." In February, Erdogan put forward a proposal on involving Iraq and Lebanon in the Astana talks. According to the Turkish leader, this scenario was possible as both countries share borders with Syria and maintain relations with Damascus. The first round of the Astana talks was held in January 2017 and involved Syria ceasefire guarantors - Russia, Iran and Turkey, as well as a delegation of the official Damascus and opposition forces representing armed groups, which are ready for dialogue with Syrian President Bashar Assad. An important outcome of this round was launching a process to define moderate armed opposition groups, which are capable of holding talks with Syria’s authorities. Read more