In a meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, representatives from Russia, Iran, and Turkey are discussing issues related to the war in Syria.
TASS news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that the officials are discuss matters including the formation of a Syrian constitutional committee, the de-escalation zones established in Syria, and humanitarian issues in the July 30-31 talks.
While backing separate sides in the Syrian conflict, Turkey, Russia, and Iran launched a negotiations process last year in the Kazakh capital, Astana, mainly dealing with battlefield issues, such as ceasefires and de-escalation zones.
A separate UN-led round of talks addressing political issues has taken place in Geneva.
The Russian delegation in Sochi is headed by the Kremlin's special envoy for Syria, Aleksandr Lavrentyev. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari and his Turkish counterpart, Sedat Onal, are attending along with the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and representatives from President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
***Syria's Territorial Integrity
Separately, a lawmaker underlined that Tehran will continue to support the Syrian government and nation against terrorist groups.
"Iran's regional strategy is based on maintaining Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty," chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said in a meeting with the Syrian Ambassador Adnan Mahmoud in Tehran on Sunday, Fars news agency reported.
He said Israel wants a weak Syria and is rabidly opposed to whatever leads to the strengthening of the Syrian nation and government.
The ambassador, for his part, stressed the importance of bolstering relations in all fields with Iran.
Mahmoud said the US and its regional allies as well as all those who support terrorism for their own narrow political aims are responsible for the recent terrorist attacks in his country.
More than five million people have fled since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011. Another six million are displaced inside the Arab country.
