The presidents of Turkey, Russia, and Iran agreed on Thursday to meet in Istanbul to discuss the conflict in Syria, a Turkish presidential source said, Reuters reported.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the meeting in two phone calls on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the source said. The date of the summit would be set in coming weeks.
The three countries have worked together in recent months to try to reduce violence in Syria, even though they have backed rival sides in the nearly seven-year civil war and remain deeply involved in the conflict.
Iran-backed militias and Russian air power have supported a Syrian army offensive in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib since November, and Turkish forces last month launched an offensive in northern Syria’s Kurdish region of Afrin.
On Monday, Iran urged Turkey to halt the Afrin operation, saying it breached Syrian sovereignty and would increase tension.
Erdogan and Putin also agreed to speed up the establishment of military observation posts in Syria’s Idlib region under an accord reached by Ankara, Tehran, and Moscow last year to reduce fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels.
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