Iranian, Russian FMs Discuss Preparations for Syrian Congress of National Dialogue
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov exchanged views about a trilateral meeting on the Syrian crisis expected to be held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi soon.
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Friday that Lavrov had spoken over the phone with his Iranian counterpart Zarif about preparations for a Russian-hosted Syrian People’s Congress.
The Russian official also held separate talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu over the phone and discussed the upcoming meeting.
The congress is expected to be held in Russia’s resort Sochi in late January.
On November 22, 2017, the Iranian, Russian and Turkish presidents held talks on the Arab country’s crisis in Sochi.
Following their meeting, the three presidents attended a press conference and issued a joint statement.
During the press conference, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the tripartite meeting discussed holding an all-Syrian congress, which will see representatives from all sides in Sochi to exchange views on the fate of the country and pave the way for the drafting of a new constitution and elections.
Vladimir Putin also said that the three leaders had agreed to a "congress" of Syria's government and opposition forces in Sochi, adding that had instructed their diplomats, security and defense bodies to work on the composition and date of the congress.
Recep Tayyib Erdogan also emphasized that the three nations would help stage a meeting of Syrian groups hosted by Russia and that they agreed to keep working on the peace process in Syria.
