Iranian, Russian, Syrian FMs to Hold Trilateral Meeting in Moscow
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Syria are slated to hold a trilateral meeting in the Russian capital of Moscow in order to coordinate their respective countries’ policies on the upcoming Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is now in Damascus to hold talks with high-profile Syrian officials, is planned to leave the Arab country to Russia later today, while his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem is planned to accompany him in the forthcoming trip.
Media reports has said that the Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers, along with their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov are set to hold a trilateral meeting in Moscow to study how they can adopt coordinated stances on the Geneva 2 peace talks.
The much delayed Geneva 2 peace conference on Syria is set to be held on January 22 in the Swiss city of Montreux.
The conference would bring representatives from Syria's government and elements of the opposition to negotiate an end to the fighting that has raged on since March 2011.
Even though Iran has not been invited to the upcoming gathering in Switzerland so far, Tehran’s coordinated policies with those of Russia and Syria appears to guarantee the long-awaited conference’s success.
Foreign Minister Zarif’s visit to Syria is the final leg of his Middle East tour, which took him earlier to Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.
In the whole meetings with the Arab officials over the past two days, the Iranian top diplomat has emphasized the necessity for a political solution to the prolonged crisis in Syria.
Syria's war that started in 2011 has killed over 100,000 people and forced more than 2 million to flee abroad, according to the UN. Another 4 million have been displaced inside the country.
Geneva 2 is the second sequel of Geneva 1 conference held in June 2012 in which international parties laid out a peace plan for Syria that calls for a transitional governing body. It left open the question of whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must leave power.
The final communiqué issued on 30 June 2012, following the meeting of the so-called Action Group for Syria called for an immediate cessation of violence and the establishment of a transitional government that could include officials serving under President Bashar al-Assad and members of the opposition.
