Russian, Iranian, Turkish foreign ministers start meeting on Syria in Astana

ASTANA, March 16. /TASS/. The Russian, Iranian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, Javad Zarif and Mevlut Cavusoglu have started negotiations in Astana during which they will sum up the results of work in Astana on the Syrian settlement, TASS reports from the venue. The three countries’ foreign ministers are expected to discuss the operation of the Syrian de-escalation zones, as well as political and humanitarian issues. The foreign ministers plan to make recommendations to Damascus and the opposition on the Syrian settlement and adopt a joint statement. Consultations between the Russian, Iranian and Turkish delegations were held in the Kazakhstani capital on Thursday, in the run-up to the ministerial meeting. Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Syrian Settlement Alexander Lavrentyev told reporters that confidence between Moscow, Ankara and Tehran has approached a new level and that the sides plan to further develop their relations within the negotiation process. Read more